Minority Slams GRIDCo CEO Directive as ‘Cosmetic,’ Says It Won’t Fix Power Crisis

The Minority in Parliament has criticised the directive for the Chief Executive Officer of Ghana Grid Company Limited, Mark Awuah Baah, to step aside, describing the move as superficial and unlikely to address the country’s persistent power challenges.

Speaking to the media on Tuesday, April 28, Deputy Ranking Member on Parliament’s Energy Committee, Collins Adomako Mensah, argued that recent leadership changes within the power sector will not fix the deep-seated problems affecting electricity supply. He stressed the need for more proactive and structural interventions.

“The decision to ask the GRIDCo CEO to step aside and to reshuffle ECG’s Ashanti Regional leadership may generate headlines. It will not generate electricity,” he stated.

He further described the current situation as a case of political crisis management rather than genuine accountability, accusing the government of reacting to challenges it failed to foresee.

“What Ghana is witnessing is not accountability; it is the political management of embarrassment by an administration caught off guard by the consequences of its own inactions,” he added.

Mr. Adomako Mensah also defended the GRIDCo CEO, noting that the operational and financial difficulties facing the power sector predate his tenure and are rooted in broader systemic issues. He cited chronic underfunding, outstanding obligations to Independent Power Producers (IPPs), and deferred maintenance as key factors.

“To hold him publicly accountable while shielding the policy architects of this situation is not justice; it is deflection presented as decisive leadership,” he stressed.

He also raised concerns about the upkeep of critical national infrastructure, particularly following the recent fire outbreak at the Akosombo Power Control Centre. He argued that any lapses in safety protocols and maintenance should be addressed at the policy level.

“We do not oppose investigations. Any inquiry into incidents affecting critical national infrastructure must be thorough and transparent,” he noted.

The comments follow a directive by the Minister for Energy and Green Transition, John Abdulai Jinapor, for the GRIDCo CEO to step aside pending investigations into the fire incident at the Akosombo Power Control Centre.

The incident, which impacted key control systems at the facility, has disrupted power transmission and contributed to outages in several parts of the country.