Aging Power Infrastructure Deepens Ghana’s Electricity Crisis – Jinapor

Energy Minister John Abdulai Jinapor has revealed that Ghana’s persistent power challenges are not only linked to the recent Akosombo fire but are also driven by long-standing weaknesses in the country’s electricity infrastructure.

Speaking at a government accountability forum, he explained that the sector is currently grappling with a “two-pronged challenge” — the immediate disruption caused by the Akosombo Hydroelectric Plant fire and deeper technical faults within the national grid.

He noted that many of the problems stem from outdated equipment and overburdened transformers that are increasingly failing under pressure.

“The second is the technical challenges we faced based on obsolete equipment, overloaded transformers, and transformers that have been failing,” Mr. Jinapor stated.

His comments suggest that while recent outages have been triggered by the Akosombo incident, systemic infrastructure issues have long affected the stability of power supply across the country.

Although he did not disclose the number of faulty transformers or the worst-affected areas, the minister indicated that these challenges predate the current crisis and continue to strain the national grid.

Mr. Jinapor also disclosed that the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has significantly reduced its expenditure, cutting spending from about GH¢9.3 billion in 2024 to GH¢1.8 billion in 2025, as part of efforts to strengthen financial discipline and prioritise essential infrastructure.

However, it remains unclear whether the reduced budget has been directed specifically toward transformer replacement or wider system upgrades.