The Deputy Minister-Designate for Energy and Green Transition, Richard Gyan-Mensah, has endorsed the government’s decision to involve the private sector in some operations of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) to improve efficiency and financial stability.
Speaking during his vetting before the Appointments Committee of Parliament on Tuesday, he emphasized the urgent need for capital injection into ECG to address the challenges facing the company.
“ECG currently needs capital injection. There are a lot of inefficiencies in the system, and I believe that bringing on board the private sector will play a key role in resolving some of these challenges. And also to make them financially buoyant to ensure we have consistent and stable power supply,” he stated.
Mr. Gyan-Mensah also acknowledged concerns raised by the Trades Union Congress (TUC) about the privatization of ECG but maintained that the Energy Minister’s approach is in the best interest of Ghana.
Clarifying the government’s position, he stressed that the entire ECG is not being privatized, but rather specific aspects of its operations, particularly
billing, distribution, and revenue collection.
“The privatization that is being discussed does not mean the whole ECG is going to be privatized. It is a section of the activities and mainly distribution, billing, and collections is what the government is looking at privatizing to bring in private companies,” he explained.
He assured that local content considerations would be prioritized to ensure that any private sector involvement would not be dominated by foreign entities.
“I have not had an extensive discussion with my minister, but I believe Ghana will prioritize local content. Whatever it is , it will not be left entirely in the hands of foreign players,” he assured the committee.