Energy Analyst Benjamin Nsiah has joined calls for the privatization of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), arguing that it is a necessary step toward improving operational efficiency in the power sector.
His comments come in the wake of growing public concern that ongoing government reforms could pave the way for the privatization of ECG.
However, the Minister for Energy and Green Transition, John Abdulai Jinapor, has firmly dismissed such claims, assuring the public that there are no plans to sell or privatize the state-owned utility.
Speaking on Morning Starr with Joshua Kodjo Mensah on Thursday, July 17, Mr. Nsiah emphasized that reforms—including partial or full privatization—could improve ECG’s performance, citing examples from other African countries.
“I think that efficiency comes with a new reform at ECG. And I do agree with people who call for either partial privatization, or total privatization of it. Because if you go to a country like Ivory Coast, they’ve privatized the whole power sector value chain from generation to distribution has been privatized, and they are doing quite well.”
Mr. Nsiah also referenced Morocco as another African country that has seen improvements in the energy sector following partial privatization.
“If you go to Morocco, also another country, they have also done a bit of privatization in their power sector. And they’re also quite doing well, especially in other countries. They’ve still liberalized the whole sector to engage other competitors in the source, so that at the end of the day, the consumer benefits from this particular competition and efficiency from all sectors.”
“But in Ghana, whenever you mention total privatization, it becomes an issue, because people think that ECG is a hit asset, and for that matter we should not privatize it. You get workers coming to talk of not privatizing it because they are going to lose jobs, or they’re going to be setting cut, cutting measures by the new owners or new investors of ECG. So it’s not a competition, but I think we need to critically look at it devoid of emotions.”
Despite the Minister’s assurances, several stakeholders, including the African Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP), have expressed support for privatizing ECG.
ACEP’s Executive Director, Ben Boakye, recently criticized ECG’s inefficiencies, noting that its failure to deliver consistent power supply has contributed significantly to the country’s energy challenges.
Source: Starrfm.com.gh
