President John Dramani Mahama, has suggested that privatizing the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) could be a solution to persistent inefficiencies in the country’s power distribution system.
He noted that private sector involvement could help address issues such as operational inefficiencies, financial mismanagement, and substandard service delivery.
Speaking at his private office in Accra during a meeting with a World Bank delegation on Wednesday, January 8, 2025, Mahama indicated that privatization might form part of a broader strategy to modernize and improve the energy sector’s performance.
“If we don’t fix the Electricity Company of Ghana, we will continue to have a major problem with our whole power value chain. So, going ahead with privatising the last point of electricity distribution, bringing in private sector efficiency is something that we want to take up again. We want to speak with the World Bank to get the expertise to be able to do that” he said.
Looking back on Ghana’s participation in the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Compact during his tenure as Vice President, Mahama underscored the vital role of efficient energy distribution in advancing the nation’s development goals.
He highlighted that any privatization efforts would aim to ensure a sustainable energy sector that can effectively meet the rising demands of Ghana’s economy.
The president also reassured stakeholders that any decisions about ECG’s future would be made after extensive consultations to ensure a balance between public interest and the need for enhanced performance.