The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has begun extensive vegetation control and tree pruning exercises across the Ashanti Region as part of efforts to reduce power outages during the rainy season.
The exercise targets overgrown trees and vegetation near transmission lines, which ECG says are major causes of feeder trips, voltage fluctuations and equipment damage during storms and heavy rainfall.
Speaking at an inter-regional operations meeting in Kumasi on Friday, 22 May 2026, the Ashanti Sub-Transmission General Manager, Ing. Kofi Apau Ohenese, said vegetation management remained critical to improving electricity supply reliability in the region.
“Government is supporting ECG to improve infrastructure on the network, but we must also pay serious attention to vegetation control and management to improve supply reliability in the Ashanti Region,” he said.
ECG said it had started settling arrears owed to contractors responsible for vegetation control to speed up work on critical transmission corridors.
The company has engaged six contractors to undertake the exercise on major routes, including Akyawkrom to Kuntenase and Bekwai, Anwomaso to Akyease, and Akyawkrom through Effiduase to Kumawu.
Ing. James M. Yevunya, Manager for Network Maintenance at Ashanti Sub-Transmission, said about 75% of the work had been completed, with the remaining sections expected to be cleared before the end of June.
“Supply reliability and public safety are our ultimate goal. Our target is to eliminate vegetation-related trippings on our network,” he said.
ECG has also introduced the use of its Network Management System App to support real-time patrols and inspections during the exercise.
According to Ing. Ohenese, clearing outstanding payments to contractors is expected to improve participation and accelerate maintenance work on vulnerable sections of the network.
The company said it was also engaging communities to discourage the planting of tall trees under power lines and within transmission buffer zones.
Industrial consumers in the region have welcomed the initiative.
An operations engineer at UNICEM Cement Ghana Limited said unstable power supply and voltage fluctuations in the Bekwai enclave had occasionally disrupted production activities.
“If ECG’s vegetation control programme is sustained, it should help reduce some of these interruptions,” the engineer said.
ECG expects the exercise to reduce vegetation-related faults, improve voltage stability and cut emergency repair costs across the region.
Source: Starrfm.gm/Isaac Justice Bediako
