For the first time in years, commercial operators at Burma Camp will be required to pay their own electricity bills following the withdrawal of a long-standing exemption previously extended to the Ghana Armed Forces, Energy Minister Dr John Abdulai Jinapor has announced.

Speaking before Parliament’s Government Assurances Committee on Tuesday, March 24, 2026, Jinapor explained that affected businesses, including cold stores, barbering shops, washing bays, and laundry services, had been operating without paying electricity and water bills despite functioning as profit-making ventures within the military enclave.

“Some of them were not even soldiers. They set up businesses when they were soldiers and left. And you know the barracks, if you have a child, that child is almost supposed to stay in the barracks with you. So non-military persons also stay in the barracks. But unfortunately, those who are non-military personnel are even more than the military personnel,” he said.

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The minister said a personal visit to Burma Camp informed his decision to end the blanket exemption, describing the move as politically challenging.

“I personally had to take a difficult political decision. Until I came in, every electricity use in every barracks was totally free,” he added.

Jinapor linked the decision to a Cabinet directive issued in July 2025 mandating the installation of prepaid meters across public institutions, including the Ghana Armed Forces, the Ghana Police Service, the Presidency, and public educational and health facilities, subject to limited exemptions.

He also noted that a shortfall in meters inherited from previous procurement decisions posed implementation challenges.

FKA/MA

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