Power outages are fixable; leadership must prioritise solutions – Kofi Bentil

Vice President of IMANI Africa, Kofi Bentil, says Ghana’s recurring power outages are a challenge that can be resolved if government prioritises the necessary interventions and provides the resources required to address known weaknesses in the electricity system. Speaking on JoyNews’ Newsfile on Saturday, August 22, Mr Bentil said Ghana has the technical expertise and knowledge needed to fix the problems confronting the power sector. We know where to buy the equipment.

We know how much they cost,” he said. He questioned why the country continues to experience repeated power disruptions when the technical solutions are known. Mr Bentil said government must urgently identify and close the gaps within the electricity system, arguing that the consequences of failures in critical infrastructure could be severe.

He cited the recent power outage around the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital as an example of the potential risks associated with unreliable electricity supply. “When the lights went off, immediately I was like, ‘Oh my God, somebody may die.’ And that one, you can’t get him back,” he said. He acknowledged that accidents and equipment failures could occur but said authorities must ensure that identified problems are properly resolved and that measures are put in place to prevent their recurrence.

Mr Bentil stressed that Ghanaian engineers have the capacity to address the challenges if the necessary resources are made available. Our leadership should put together what is necessary, and let’s fix these problems, because they are fixable,” he said. He further called for a review of government’s spending priorities, particularly at a time when the country is seeking to promote a 24-hour economy.

According to him, reliable electricity should be treated as a priority because it underpins economic activity, healthcare delivery and other essential services. If you know your mathematics, if you know what you are doing, you know what equipment to buy, whatever it is, let’s put the money in,” he stated. Mr Bentil urged government to direct more resources towards fixing existing infrastructure gaps rather than spending heavily on projects that could take attention away from urgent needs in the power sector.

Lawyer and Vice President of IMANI Africa, Kofi Bentil, has called for a rethink of government’s spending priorities amid recurring nationwide power outages. Mr Bentil questioned the rationale behind spending heavily to demolish existing markets and construct new ones while other critical infrastructure needs remain unresolved. “I worry about how we are prioritising expenditure in this economy right now,” he said.