Govt Apologises Profusely For Ongoing Load Shedding Programme

Government has apologised profusely for the ongoing load shedding programme the country is enduring.

In a statement the Energy Ministry promised Ghanaians the current power crisis will be addressed “by the earliest possible date”.

Consumers across the country have experienced erratic power supplies over the past few months as a result of generation challenges being faced by the Volta River Authority.

Officials of VRA and ECG say a new load shedding programme will be announced which will regulate how electricity is provided to consumers across the country.

They say the load shedding will be nationwide in order for all to share in the discomfort at least as steps are being taken to resolve the challenge. President John Mahama pleaded with Ghanaians to be patient as government worked tirelessly to resolve the crisis.

The Energy Minister, Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah has been sent to Nigeria to find out why gas from the West Africa Gas Pipeline has been erratic.

Speaking to Joy News, the Head of Communications at the Energy Ministry Emmanuel Bawa said the minister is also expected to hold meetings with other key power stakeholders before returning to Ghana.

Lamenting over the ongoing power crisis, Bawa said the power sector has been competing with other sectors, including health for the limited funds.

According to him, government needs to build a power plant that would provide about 200 megawatts of power every year but the amount involved and time frame needed for this investment are most often not available.

He said the new strategy now is to put in money for some of these investments to be made.