Allow private sector to control energy sector - Wereko Brobby

Dr Wereko Brobby has stated that the problems in the energy sector will remain VRA is managed by private hands.

The former Chief Executive Officer of the Volta River Authority (VRA) explained that government’s control of the sector amounts to continuous interference which hinders the progress and effectiveness of the sector.

Ghana since late last year has been experiencing power challenges due to the damage of the West African Gas Pipeline and the delay in fixing the damaged pipeline. The country has since not been receiving gas supply from neighboring Nigeria to increase energy production.

According to Dr. Wereko Brobby, “as long as power is in the hands of government, the likelihood of government interference in so far as VRA profit is being dipped into…because I heard VRA talk about government owing it $400 million must be a mixture of unpaid tariffs etc. That is the kind of thing you couldn’t do to a private supplier.”

He noted that the requisite policies are in place “but we need to essentially make sure that two things happen; that government itself has an arm’s length and allow things to happen and secondly, the private sector must be encouraged more and more.”

The former VRA boss added that the private sector is more efficient than government “and it’s about time that the long standing policy that we’ve had for 20 years of saying that we must give the private sector sets priority into adding generation to our capacity is actually implemented.”