The Africa Sustainable Energy Centre (ASEC) has warned that Ghana risks losing up to $2 billion annually if the nation’s ongoing power outages are not immediately addressed.
Describing the crisis as “national economic emergency,” ASEC highlighted that the disruptions are already undermining investor confidence and threatening national development.
According to ASEC, the persistent “dumsor” is taking a measurable toll across several critical sectors, including manufacturing, healthcare, and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
ASEC in a statement signed by its Executive Director, Ing. Justice Ohene-Akoto said electricity serves as the “lifeblood” of the modern economy.
”The cost of inaction far outweighs the cost of reform,” Ing. Ohene-Akoto said.
ASEC listed the causes of the country’s power crisis as generation and fuel constraints, ageing energy infrastructure, and operational vulnerabilities.
The group, therefore, outlined a coordinated, six-point action plan to safeguard the economy from a multi-billion dollar collapse.
These include deploying artificial intelligence for predictive maintenance to detect equipment failures before they occur, improving revenue collection through the strategic privatization of parts of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) and the rollout of smart meters to curb energy theft and accelerating investment in solar, wind, and hydro power while stabilizing fuel supplies for thermal plants.
ASEC also called for upgrading the grid with advanced monitoring and automation technologies, upgrading the grid with advanced monitoring and automation technologies and enhancing transparency in procurement, and improving coordination between stakeholders
The group emphasized that Ghana will attain energy security with a “decisive action” and “unwavering commitment” from both the government and the private sector to prevent a long-term economic decline.
Source: Starrfm.com.gh
