Lawyer and Senior Vice-President of IMANI Africa, Kofi Bentil, has criticised authorities over what he describes as “insincere” communication regarding Ghana’s persistent power outages.
Speaking on Newsfile on Saturday, 2 May, Mr Bentil said the country’s energy challenges are not solely technical but are compounded by poor and unreliable public communication.
He noted that the energy sector remains highly sensitive and inherently political, stressing the need for careful and responsible handling of both policy and messaging.
“Everything that is serious is political, and energy is serious,” he said, adding that while politics cannot be entirely removed from the sector, it must be managed in a way that does not undermine long-term stability.
Mr Bentil observed that Ghana’s power challenges have followed a recurring pattern over the years, suggesting that underlying systemic issues remain unresolved. Despite this, he expressed confidence in the technical competence of engineers at the Volta River Authority (VRA), indicating that they have consistently delivered results when given the necessary independence and effective leadership.
“The engineers at VRA have proven that if you leave them alone and provide the right leadership, there is almost nothing they cannot do,” he stated.
He attributed the country’s ongoing power difficulties largely to political interference rather than a lack of expertise, arguing that decision-making within the sector is often influenced by competing interests and financial incentives.
“The biggest problem with our energy sector is that it has suffered political interference, not leadership,” he said.
Mr Bentil further maintained that Ghana’s size and structure do not make its energy needs unmanageable, suggesting instead that entrenched interests within the sector continue to hinder progress.
“There’s been too much political interference, and there’s too much money in that sector; it is messing with us,” he added.
He called for what he described as a “rational elite consensus” on key national issues such as energy, arguing that a unified and depoliticised approach would help prioritise long-term national interest over short-term gains.
Mr Bentil also pointed to recent developments within the VRA as a potential foundation for broader reforms across the energy sector.
He insisted that with the right systems and leadership in place, Ghana can significantly reduce prolonged outages, noting that it is possible to ensure power disruptions do not exceed 48 hours.
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