Speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show on Friday, the Ministry’s Spokesperson, Richmond Rockson, said the acquisition was made on the directive of Energy Minister John Jinapor as part of ongoing efforts to stabilise the national power supply and resolve distribution challenges.

“Any industry player or resident who has observed the space over the last two to three months can attest to a fairly stable power supply. This is because of some of the strategic interventions the Ministry has rolled out,” he stated.

He disclosed that ECG had not undertaken major maintenance works in over two years, resulting in numerous complaints about faulty transformers in various communities.

“The Minister directed ECG to procure over 200 transformers to replace malfunctioning ones, and this has significantly improved power stability in many areas,” he added.

Rockson also clarified that the transformers were not previously acquired and left idle, as claimed by some reports, but were recently purchased and are already in use.

He further noted that the transformers were manufactured in Ghana, a move that supports local industries, creates jobs, and boosts confidence in Ghanaian engineering and production capabilities.

“This decision doesn’t only benefit the power sector—it also strengthens the local manufacturing sector,” he emphasized.

Source: Albert Kuzor

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Energy and Green Transition Minister, John Abdulai Jinapor, announced this at the opening session of the 18th West Africa Mining and Power Exhibition (WAMPEX) held in Accra on Wednesday.

Following government approval, ECG has been instructed to immediately deploy the transformers to enhance the reliability of electricity supply for national development.

Minister Jinapor noted that initial challenges with power generation have been stabilised, and Ghana is now exporting electricity to neighbouring countries. The current focus is on improving power transmission and distribution systems.

WAMPEX, the largest forum for mining and power industries in West Africa, attracted over 240 exhibitors from 30 countries and more than 5,000 visitors this year. The event provides a platform for industry professionals, policymakers, and stakeholders to discuss challenges, innovations, and future opportunities.

The conference was jointly opened by the Ministers of Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, and Energy and Green Transition, John Abdulai Jinapor.

Minister Jinapor assured mining sector players of the government’s commitment to providing reliable power to unlock the sector’s full potential for national growth. He emphasized the importance of collaboration between the mining and energy sectors for sustainable development.

Minister Buah highlighted the need for strategic investment in mining, focusing on value addition, environmental preservation, and community rights protection.

Ahmed Dasana Nantogmah, Acting CEO of the Ghana Chamber of Mines, described WAMPEX as a beacon for mining, power, energy, and infrastructure development in West Africa. He stressed the importance of sustainable mining practices that create local value and uphold environmental, social, and governance principles.

Nantogmah also pointed to West Africa’s growing regional cooperation as a key strength for the sub-region’s mineral wealth and investment potential.

Source: Graphic

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Reports available to the GNA indicate that two of the affected transformers, a 50kVA and a 200kVA, were part of the circuit serving the community water supply at Bepoh Bridge and several bungalows at Anlonkwanta.

The other affected transformer, a dedicated 100kVA unit at Samahu, was not part of the circuit.

The Western Regional Public Relations Officer of ECG, Awal Boye, stated that the incident had been reported to the police and that investigations were underway.

He advised the public to be vigilant and report any unusual activity around ECG installations.

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The Yapei-Kusawgu Member of Parliament questioned why ECG blamed the current power outages, also known as “dumsor,” on transformers and maintenance challenges when it was purely financial issues.

“ECG decided to take the blame. It is unfortunate they told Ghanaians they have stable power when they are shedding load, but before the committee they admitted there isn’t enough power.

“They decided to take the blame when nobody forced them because they knew the problem was not with the transformers. Those numerous interviews were unnecessary, and this situation could have been avoided,” he stated on Adom FM’s morning show Dwaso Nsem Monday.

Ghanaians are peeved about the recent power outages in the country and have expressed concerns over its impact on their businesses.

Amidst the calls for a load-shedding timetable, ECG boss, Mr. Mahama insisted the outages were due to transformer repairs and ruled out the demands of Ghanaians.

ECG announced that it had identified 630 distribution transformers out of 3,200 in communities within its operational areas to be full as a result of increased demand.

But going forward, Mr Jinapor admonished the ECG and its Managing Director, Samuel Dubik Mahama to learn their lessons and always be truthful when a problem arises.

“Problems are bound to happen, and nothing in smooth throughout life. Being truthful reduces anger and frustration so it is better to be transparent than deceive people,” he added.

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The completion of this project comes after the power distribution company identified some 630 transformers that were reaching full capacity across the country with 46 of them in the Ashanti West Region.

The power distributor also intensified day and night transformer inspections to check the integrity of existing transformers and pick load readings as part of efforts to improve power supply in the region.

The commissioned transformers which included upgrading of some lines and transformers that had reached full capacity are located in towns across the Ahinsan, Abuakwa, Bibiani, Suame, and Offinso Districts of the Ashanti West Region.

The specific areas include Wood Village Estate, Foase, Twedie Foase, Dompoase Salvation School, Bokankye, Kwamekrom, Achiase Market, New Aduampong, Consor Junction, Odumase Fungy and Saint International School at Barekese.

According to ECG’s Ashanti West Regional General Manager, Mr Maxwell Dapaah, the mission of the company is “to provide quality, reliable and safe electricity services to support the socioeconomic growth and development of Ghana informed management’s decision to complete this project to provide convenience for our customers.

Mr Dapaah noted that, before the completion of this project, the transformers at these locations were reaching full capacity which resulted in occasional localized outages like low voltage, phase offs among others.

“Every transformer has a capacity of electricity (load) it can carry so if the capacity is 200 KVA, the electricity should not exceed that capacity. Once we identified transformers reaching full capacity, we upgraded from 200 KVA to 315KVA and in some locations, a 500KVA transformer was commissioned to take care of the increasing demand.”

The General Manager revealed that the project has benefits such as a reduction of system losses, improved reliability and stable power supply within the enclave to enhance customer satisfaction, and operational efficiency and flexibility since the company can now meet the growing demand of customers within the enclave.

The Regional Engineer of Ashanti West Region, Ing. Emmanuel Osei Amoako underscored the importance of the completion of this project as a step in the right direction in providing reliable and quality power supply to attract and sustain businesses in the region and ensure all customers are happy with the services of ECG.

Ing. Osei Amoako also announced that the company is also embarking on other projects in the region to enhance service delivery and provide convenience for customers. “We are constructing a substation at Agogo. We are also upgrading other transformers and distribution lines that we have identified to be reaching full capacity to augment power supply in the region”.

Ing. Osei Amoako cautioned the public to desist from unlawful entry into the network of ECG and urged customers to report people who interfere with the ECG network to the police or the nearest ECG Office as part of efforts to help protect ECG installations like poles, transformers, meters, and pylons.

“Customers experiencing outages within their premises should kindly contact our contact center on 0302611611, report to the nearest ECG office, lodge a complaint on the ECG PowerApp or reach us on our social media handles @ECGghOfficial,” he said.

He urged customers to desist from illegal connections and pay their bills promptly to enable ECG to serve them better through the completion of existing projects and initiation of new ones that will benefit them.

Mr Dapaah advised customers to take advantage of the newly introduced cashless system by ECG to pay their bills before ECG Officials visit their premises.

“We urge our customers to pay their bills by downloading the ECG PowerApp from Google Play Store or AppStore or through the shortcode *226# before our revenue officers visit their premises since this system enables customers to transact business with ECG anywhere or anytime. Customers can also pay at any bank.”

Customers who still wish to visit the ECG office to transact any business should load the money on their mobile money wallet before going to the office since the ECG Office no longer accepts cash.

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