Deputy Energy Minister, Richard Gyan Mensah, has disclosed that he deliberately removed the generator from his home so he could personally experience the same power outages faced by ordinary Ghanaians.
According to him, the decision was a personal one aimed at deepening his understanding of the challenges Ghanaians face during power outages.
“Immediately I was given my position as Deputy Energy Minister, I took off the generator… I took it off because at that point I wanted to feel what Ghanaians go through when the light goes off. I wanted to experience it,” he said.
Mr Mensah made the revelation while speaking on JoyNews’ *PM Express*, where he also addressed the recent power supply challenges.
He explained that a sharp rise in electricity demand at the beginning of the year had strained the power system.
“At the beginning of the year, demand quickly shot up… So demand shooting up means that the sources of distribution… there’ll be a lot more pressure… In some areas, the transformers became overloaded,” he stated.
The Deputy Minister noted that investigations revealed overloaded transformers were largely responsible for the outages in several communities, although response teams have been working quickly to restore power.
He added that he actively monitors restoration efforts. “Sometimes I can monitor the power immediately… they would report back to me that the power is back.”
Mr Mensah stressed that experiencing the outages himself has helped him avoid viewing the crisis as abstract.
“Maybe you might see it as abstract. But now, when the light goes off, my light goes off as well,” he said.
He further disclosed that he has resisted installing alternatives such as solar power in order to stay aligned with the reality faced by most citizens.
“Installing solar could do it, but if I install solar, then you will feel that what about the ordinary Ghanaian who doesn’t have what it takes to install solar?” he questioned.
The minister recalled a recent power outage at his residence, noting that electricity was unavailable from about 6 a.m. to midday last Saturday.
He added that he remained in constant touch with officials at Akosombo, making periodic calls to stay updated on the situation.
Despite the inconvenience, Mr Mensah emphasised that the measure is only temporary.
“I’m looking at improving the system… When I know Ghanaians are okay, I’ll bring it back,” he added.