Minister for Energy and Green Transition, John Abdulai Jinapor, has assured residents of Kumasi and the Ashanti Region of a more stable and resilient electricity supply by the end of the third quarter of 2026.
Speaking during a working visit to the Ashanti Region, the Minister said government was implementing several interventions simultaneously to address growing energy demands in the region, which he described as the “heartbeat of economic activity” in the country.
Mr. Jinapor commended the Ashanti Regional Minister, Dr. Frank Amoakohene, for his commitment and leadership, noting that the region was fortunate to have “a young, dynamic, hard-working visionary regional minister.”
The Energy Minister said increasing population growth, industrial activities and economic expansion in Kumasi had led to a surge in electricity demand, requiring urgent investments in power infrastructure.
“We have a firm understanding of the problems within the energy sector and so we are taking several interventions,” he said.
According to him, ongoing projects include the upgrading of transformers, construction of new transmission lines, rehabilitation of existing systems and the installation of about 300 transformers in the first phase of interventions, which will later be expanded to 700.
He revealed that GRIDCo had recently delivered a major transformer to Kumasi and would undertake a significant upgrade of its transmission lines in July to improve system reliability and service delivery.
Mr. Jinapor also disclosed that work was ongoing on the Anwomaso and Aksa power plants, including efforts to operationalize the steam unit of the Aksa combined-cycle plant to boost generation capacity.
“We want to ensure that we deliver power to almost everywhere in the country, with emphasis on Kumasi and the Ashanti Region,” he stated.
The Minister added that similar interventions were being planned in other parts of the country, including the Volta and Western Regions, to improve electricity transmission and reliability.
Appealing for public patience, Mr. Jinapor acknowledged that some temporary outages could occur during the upgrade works.
“Occasionally, we may have to switch some plants or gadgets off to enable engineers to work, but by the end of the third quarter, we should see a very resilient and stable supply,” he assured.
For his part, Ashanti Regional Minister Dr. Frank Amoakohene said the region’s rapid population growth and industrialization had significantly increased electricity demand.
He expressed appreciation to the Energy Ministry and power sector agencies for prioritizing investments in the region, including the recent installation of transformers aimed at improving supply reliability.
Dr. Amoakohene said authorities had also put in place security measures to protect newly installed transformers and other critical infrastructure from vandalism and theft.
He further indicated that the Regional Coordinating Council would embark on extensive public sensitization ahead of planned system upgrades in July to ensure residents understood the temporary inconveniences associated with the works.
“We want to assure the Minister that he has our full support as we work together to provide seamless electricity supply to the people of the Ashanti Region,” he said.
Source: Starrfm.com.gh/Isaac Justice Bediako
