News:
March 21, 2025
The energy sector debt of Ghana should be addressed since energy is the life blood of every economy, Member of Parliament for Sunyani West Millicent Yeboah Amankwah pointed out during her contribution to the 2025 budget when she took her turn to debate.
According to her in 2024, the ministry of finance supported the energy sector with the payment of about one point five billion US dollars equivalent to twenty point eight billion cedis.
This amount she noted could have been used for any other project like roads and schools among others; but added that she believes in the Ministry and Minister of Roads and Highways that with the ‘Big Push’ initiative by President John Mahama infrastructure would be taken care of.
“If you look at this amount of money and we ask ourselves of the recent exercise conducted by the energy sector, the energy sector recovery programme has revealed that the energy sector financial shortfall has increased to thirty-five billion cedis in 2025”.
Mr. Speaker, where are we going as a country with this whole budget, without the energy sector we cannot work; if you look at the current state of the energy sector there is massive financial shortfall.
The independent power producers, we owe them one point seven- three billion dollars which is even more than what the former finance ministry gave as support to the energy ministry.
She said ECG owes 68 billion cedis currently which they cannot even pay, and COCOBOD also owes 32 billion cedis which is going to affect power supply and adversely affect any industry that depends on them, she added.
The Sunyani West MP further stated that the cost of power generation is very high but with President John Mahama who has promised to introduce more solar system to support our electricity generation system, “it might be costly per capital, but with the long years ahead of us it would add up three cent per kilowatt which is going to help us”.
We can say whatever we want to say in this country but if the energy sector is not catered for looking at the debt and areas we need invest in the consequences may be dire to us; she said.
Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com