Dr. Samuel Ayeh Speaks on Power Challenges: A Hot Debate on Fuel and Infrastructure Crisis

In a zoom meeting on Kessben TV’s Digest show, Dr. Ayeh , Presidential Aide for Government Communications addressed the country’s ongoing power shortage and highlighted the serious issues facing the national energy sector.

“We have generational capacity, peak demand, and available capacity. However, just because we have 5400 MW of generational capacity does not mean it will always be available,” Ayeh said, emphasizing that even with significant capacity, the system sometimes faces unexpected challenges.

He noted that there have been instances where there was not enough capital to purchase fuel for the plants but that has no space under the governance of president John Dramani Mahama currently. “There have been instances where there was not enough capital to purchase fuel, which left the country unable to supply power consistently,”

Ayeh explained.

Under the governance of former President Akufo Addo, the nation was owing Nigeria’s gas, ENI gas and other suppliers.

Dr. Ayeh also highlighted that the government could not repay a World Bank guarantee of $500 million then, a debt linked to the energy crisis. He stressed that the current government has acknowledged the problem and is actively working on solutions by paying off those debts. “We have to upgrade our infrastructure and replace transformers to prevent future outages,” he added.

Looking ahead, Ayeh assured that the Ministry of Energy is taking steps to address the issue by investing in improvements to the electrical grid. “We recognize the challenge and are working to solve it based on current plans,” he stated.

As power supply continues to be an ongoing issue, the government’s efforts to address the underlying problems will be watched closely in the coming months.