Ahead of President Nana Akufo-Addo’s announcement of absorbing fifty percent of electricity bills of Ghanaians in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic and lockdown, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Leader of Government Business Osei-Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu has dismissed assertions in the section of the media that he had given indications that the government would absorb electricity bills of Ghanaians because of the lockdown and coronavirus pandemic.
In an interview with the media in parliament, he pointed out that the whole idea of picking up electricity bills of Ghanaians was being pushed by the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).
According to him, what he said was that government was looking into the issue of electricity and considering doing what would be in the best interest of Ghanaians.
“If it should be a defined percentage and how much it should as we all know, electricity cost is about ten times that of water, despite you want to do that to reduce the hardship of citizens. You also want to know the impact of it on the economy so that when the country comes out of the pandemic, the economy is not damaged by the action of government”.
He added that he was taken out of context; adding all he was saying was that government would consider the issue of electricity bill before the fifty percent pick up announcement of the President was made.
“I did not say government was going to pick up electricity bills of Ghanaians as reported by some news portals, I said government was looking at the circumstances and the public purse of the country if it could do something”, he lamented.
Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com
