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The Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDCo) has attributed Thursday morning’s widespread power outage to a major fault on the Akosombo–Volta transmission line.
According to GRIDCo, the fault triggered the automatic shutdown of the Akosombo generating units and some thermal plants as part of the National Interconnected Transmission System’s protection mechanisms.
The company said the shutdown was necessary to safeguard the stability and integrity of the national power system.
“Immediately following the incident, GRIDCo engineers, working in close coordination with other power sector agencies, took steps to isolate the affected transmission line and commenced the safe and systematic restoration of the power system,” the company said in a statement.
Several parts of Ghana were plunged into darkness from about 4:30 a.m. on Thursday, August 20, 2026, disrupting households, businesses and essential services.
Areas affected
In Accra, communities affected included Adabraka, Weija, Tesano, Achimota, Dzorwulu, Legon, Madina, Adenta and Oyarifa.
The disruption also affected parts of the Eastern, Northern, Central and Ashanti regions, including Aburi and Tamale.
GRIDCo said power had already been restored to some affected areas, while restoration efforts were continuing to reconnect remaining customers.
“GRIDCo regrets the inconvenience caused by this temporary outage and assures the general public that all relevant technical teams have been fully mobilised and are working with urgency to achieve complete restoration of the power system,” the statement added.
Second major outage in weeks
Thursday’s incident is the second major disruption to Ghana’s national power system in less than a month.
On July 29, 2026, several parts of the country, including communities in Accra, Tema and Kasoa, as well as parts of the Ashanti and Eastern regions, experienced another widespread power outage.
The recurrence of the disruptions is expected to renew concerns about the stability of Ghana’s national power grid and the reliability of electricity supply.
GRIDCo is expected to provide further updates as restoration efforts continue.