Dumsor: Energy sector needs a leader, says Nana Amoasi VII

The Executive Director of the Institute for Energy Security (IES), Nana Amoasi VII, has highlighted the lack of effective leadership in Ghana's energy sector.

He has called for the appointment of a new leader to address the ongoing challenges plaguing the sector.

The country has been experiencing frequent power outages, known as "dumsor," in recent times, prompting widespread calls for a structured timetable to manage these disruptions.

Despite directives from the Public Utilities and Regulatory Commission (PURC) to the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) to provide such a timetable, there has been little progress.

In an interview with Citi FM on Monday, April 22, Nana Amoasi VII expressed his dissatisfaction with the performance of the current Energy Minister.

In his view, the Minister should be relieved of his duties due to his perceived unsuitability for the role.

He thus criticised the Minister for what he perceived as disrespect towards the concerns of Ghanaians, labelling it as unacceptable and intolerable.

Nana Amoasi VII also emphasised the need for leadership that is responsive to the challenges facing the energy sector and committed to finding solutions.

The Executive Director of the IES highlighted the importance of addressing the leadership vacuum in the energy sector to tackle the persistent issues of dumsor effectively.

He stressed that a new leader with a clear vision and effective management skills is essential for restoring stability to Ghana's energy supply.

“Today the power sector or the energy sector appears shepherdless.

You don’t see a leader who is standing up to the issues, accepting them as they are and seeking to address them while calling for cooperation from Ghanaians.

“We have been asking for a timetable for quite a long time.

The PURC intervened as an arbiter between the utilities and consumers and asked the ECG to provide one unfortunately the Minister of Energy [tells] all of us including the PURC to produce a timetable if we need one and why will we wish the country evil by asking for a load shedding timetable," he said.Nana Amoasi VII's comments come at a time when Ghanaians are growing increasingly frustrated with the lack of reliable electricity supply.