A widespread power outage that disrupted electricity supply across much of Ghana on Thursday, May 1, has been traced to a tipper truck accident near a key transmission line, according to a joint statement from the Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDCo) and the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG).

The blackout, which struck at exactly 1:42 p.m., occurred when a tipper truck discharging stones at a private construction site near the Nkawkaw-Konongo Transmission Line accidentally lifted its bucket into a high-voltage conductor.

The collision caused significant damage to the transmission infrastructure and triggered a cascading failure across the national grid. "This incident caused all power plants at Aboadze and Anwomaso to trip, taking off supply to the Western, Central and Northern parts of the country, as well as some customers in Accra," the statement said.

It was signed by Dzifa Bampoh, GRIDCo's Manager of Corporate Communications, and William Boateng, ECG's Director of Communications.