NPP’s Awal Mohammed Blames Government for Energy Sector Crisis, Demands Accountability

A member of the New Patriotic Party’s communication team, Awal Mohammed, has strongly criticized the government over what he describes as an escalating energy sector crisis, accusing the administration of incompetence and lack of transparency in managing funds collected under energy-related levies.

Speaking on the ongoing power challenges in the country at Kessben Maakye show, Awal Mohammed said the return of intermittent power outages, popularly known as dumsor, is not due to generation capacity constraints but rather the government’s inability to finance crude oil purchases.

According to him, Ghana currently has a dependable electricity generation capacity of 4,600 megawatts, while peak demand stands at 4,100 megawatts, making the current outages unjustifiable.

“The dumsor we are experiencing is not a generation capacity issue but a financial one. The problem is money to purchase crude oil,” he stated.

He argued that despite government claims of economic resilience, the reality on the ground tells a different story.

“The economy is only resilient on paper. For the first time, the government had to borrow to pay workers, yet they continue to claim the economy is strong,” he alleged.

Awal Mohammed further accused the government of failing to account for revenue collected through the dumsor levy and the Energy Sector Levies Act (ESLA).

He disclosed that Ghanaians continue to pay 95 pesewas under ESLA and an additional GH¢1 under an amended levy, bringing the total to GH¢1.95 on fuel purchases.

“As we speak, GH¢5.7 billion has been collected, yet for eight months there has been no accountability.

They have diverted the money,” he claimed.

He questioned why the government had allegedly failed to meet the four-month statutory requirement for reporting on the use of such funds.

“Why has the NDC refused to account for eight months instead of the four-month requirement?” he asked.

Awal Mohammed also took aim at President John Mahama, insisting that the re-emergence of dumsor validates concerns the NPP raised ahead of the elections.

“We warned Ghanaians that if they voted for Mahama, dumsor would resurface. This is incompetence to the highest level,” he said.

He concluded by urging the government to prioritize transparency and effective management of the energy sector, warning that continued inefficiencies would further burden citizens already struggling with rising living costs.