The gloves are off in the battle over Ghana’s power crisis. Haruna Mohammed, Deputy General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has launched a blistering assault on the John Mahama administration, demanding a formal apology to Ghanaians for what he describes as a “complete betrayal” of energy sector promises.
Speaking on Channel One TV’s Breakfast Daily on Saturday, May 2, Haruna didn’t hold back. As parts of the country descend once again into the erratic rhythm of Dumsor, he argued that the current blackouts aren’t just technical accidents—they are the inevitable result of a government that has effectively abandoned the energy sector’s growth.
A Policy in Freefall
The core of the NPP’s grievance is simple: they handed over a working blueprint, and the NDC shredded it. Haruna alleges that the Mahama government has intentionally neglected the robust policy frameworks inherited from the previous NPP administration. This neglect, he says, has hollowed out the sector, leaving it incapable of handling even minor disruptions.
“It’s a complete neglect of the energy sector policy that we have left for them,” Haruna stated. “It’s about time that the NDC comes out openly to apologize to the good people of Ghana and tell them that they lied to them in power and they cannot fix that.”
The “Akosombo Fire” Excuse
While Energy Minister John Abdulai Jinapor has been quick to point to the fire at the GRIDCo substation in Akosombo as the culprit, the NPP sees this as a convenient smokescreen. The fire, which knocked out over 1,000 megawatts, certainly caused the immediate trip, but Haruna’s point is deeper: why is our grid so fragile that a single localized event plunges half the nation into darkness?
The minister has announced that power generation is now “fully restored,” but for many Ghanaians, the assurances ring hollow. For weeks, businesses have stalled and households have sweltered, despite the NDC’s campaign rhetoric that power fluctuations were a thing of the past.
The Accountability Gap
For many, Haruna’s critique hits a raw nerve. The “reset” promised by the current administration seems to have hit a snag. Instead of building on the foundation of energy debt settlements and diversified supply, we are seeing a return to the “fix-it-when-it-breaks” mentality.
Haruna Mohammed’s demand for an apology is considered a critical call for honesty. He argues that the government’s inability to maintain the grid is proof that their campaign promises were built on sand. If the government can’t keep the lights on despite inherited plans and massive resources, then the very least they owe the taxpayer is a confession of incompetence.
