Additionally, he suggested diversifying public enterprises like the Volta River Authority (VRA) and the Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo) by involving the private sector to ensure essential financial investments.

These remarks were made during the commissioning of a 430-kilometre natural gas pipeline by Genser Energy, aimed at bolstering the nation’s power sector.

“It’s about time that the government realizes that it’s not going to work for the government to be involved in setting up companies without involving the private sector, it doesn’t work. The government should confront policies and involve the private sector and you can attract more investors into the country which will create more employment.

“VRA and others are all government establishments, let’s give it out and diversify them into the private sector and get more money there and get the right people to do it. GRIDCo and others, let’s give them the money and get the qualified people, diverse government from it and let them work. Electricity Company is in a situation where we don’t know, but that also must be diversified and given to the private sector.

“Why are we still holding on when we don’t have the money? We’re not able to collect all the taxes we want, we’re going to IMF and all those for money. We’re hanging onto industries we cannot maintain and run.

“It’s about time we face reality and decide on what government should be doing and what the private sector should be doing. This is a testimony of the private sector, and they were able to attract investors.”

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The Ellembelle MP has bemoaned the absence of a load-shedding timetable is hampering households and businesses from planning accordingly.

Parts of the country for the past days have experienced power outages, leading to frustration and anger among some Ghanaians.

Several Ghanaians have expressed their displeasure, citing the lack of prior communication and explanation for the widespread outage.

But the former Power Minister has stressed the lack of transparency and communication regarding the power outage schedule only adds to the frustration and inconvenience experienced by the affected population.

In press statement on Twitter, he stated that the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) is currently facing challenges in meeting its payment obligations to the West African Gas Pipeline.

This pipeline plays a crucial role in transporting gas from Takoradi to Tema for power generation.

Mr Buah noted the GNPC’s inability to fulfill its financial commitments to the West African Gas Pipeline is a primary factor contributing to the widespread power outages experienced in various parts of the country.

“It is worth highlighting that even during the worst periods of dumsor in the past, the power outage never reached the 500 megawatts threshold currently being shed yet the media associated with the NPP interestingly see this as no ‘dumsor.'”

“Their loud silence on the current situation is deafening,” the release read in parts.

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Read the full statement below:

Ghana is currently grappling with a severe case of Load Shedding, commonly known as Dumsor.
The situation is evidently clear, with 500 MW of load being shed as of tonight, January 9th, 2024.

Numerous areas have been plunged into darkness due to the unavailability of gas to… pic.twitter.com/UPsGEtQ5jA

— Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah (@ArmahKofiBuah) January 10, 2024