On Monday, January 13, 2025, President John Dramani Mahama convened an urgent meeting with Independent Power Producers (IPPs) to discuss the mounting power crisis in Ghana.
The talks centred around the serious financial challenges in the power sector, with a particular focus on the government’s growing debt to the IPPs, which had reached $1.2 billion as of October 2024.
During the meeting, President Mahama acknowledged the dire situation, saying, “We must act now to resolve the financial disputes that are crippling our energy sector. The country cannot afford to face an energy crisis of this magnitude.”
The IPPs have long been vocal about their concerns, warning that if their arrears are not settled, they would be forced to halt power production.
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These producers play a critical role in supplying electricity to the national grid, and any shutdown would have severe consequences for power supply across the nation.
“Without these payments, we cannot continue our operations,” an IPP representative expressed during the discussions. “We have done everything we can, but we need the government to step up and settle these debts to avoid a total collapse of the energy sector.”
Adding to the gravity of the situation, the West African Gas Pipeline Company (WAPCo), which supplies gas to Ghana’s power plants, had announced a planned maintenance shutdown. This raised further concerns about potential power shortages.
In a brief moment of relief, WAPCo agreed to postpone its maintenance shutdown for two weeks, providing the government with some time to address the issues at hand.
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