The Minority in Parliament has dismissed claims by President John Dramani Mahama that his administration resolved the power crisis, popularly known as dumsor, in 2016.
At a press briefing on Monday, March 3, former Finance Minister Mohammed Amin Adam called on President Mahama to publish a load-shedding timetable, citing ongoing intermittent power outages across the country.
President Mahama, in his first State of the Nation Address (SONA) of his second term, attributed the current energy challenges to a huge debt in the sector. However, Dr. Amin Adam refuted this, insisting that the previous Akufo-Addo administration had successfully stabilized the power supply.
The Minority argued that an official load-shedding timetable would help businesses and households plan effectively and minimize economic losses.
“Mr. President, you did not fix dumsor as you claimed. Your record on dumsor is abysmal, unlike your predecessor, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, who kept the lights on. Under your leadership, Ghanaians are once again experiencing dumsor with fear and anxiety, especially small businesses like hair salons, welders, and dressmakers who depend on electricity for their livelihoods,” Dr. Amin Adam stated.
They further pointed to the increasing reliance on generators in businesses, clinics, and social events as evidence of worsening power supply issues.
“Many people and businesses have already felt the pinch and the pain of living with the current ‘dumsor.’ We have also seen the return of electric generating sets in shops, clinics, and at social events.
“Mr. President, this is the true state of our nation! To mitigate the impact of these erratic power supplies, we, the Mighty Minority, call on the government to publish a load-shedding timetable to help people and businesses plan effectively and offset some of the losses the economy is currently suffering from,” the Minority stated.
