We commit to uninterrupted power supply - GRIDCo

Board Chairman of Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo), Ambassador Kabral Blay-Amihere has said the company is currently engaging key stakeholder to solve the ongoing differences between the government and GRIDCo to ensure power supply following recent agitation over unpaid debts.

According to the him, the company is committed to providing reliable power supply as it has always been the backbone of power delivery in the country.

Kabral Blay-Amihere, was speaking at the company’s 10th AGM in Accra said “The Board and Management have spent the last three years restoring the needed stability to the operations of the company and I’m proud to say that we are on a revival to carry on our mandate without fail,” he added.

Chief Executive of GRIDCo, Jonathan Amoako-Baah, in his remarks at the AGM, was quick to rule out media reports that a brief power outage across the country some days ago was directly linked to the intended staff strike action.

“There’s no linkage at all. What happened some days ago was purely a technical challenge arising from power swings on our transmission line to Cote D’Ivoire.”

In a related development, the State Interests and Governance Authority (SIGA), representing government, said pragmatic initiatives have been taken to support GRIDCo deliver on its mandate.

CEO of SIGA, Stephen Asamoah-Boateng indicated that ECG has taken steps to settle its debts to the energy transmitter.

“Government has also taken steps to commit some of the debts owed GRIDCo into equity to shore up the performance of the company. We will support GRIDCo to a point where the company can confidently begin paying dividends. We will work with GRIDCo to ensure increase in shareholder value,” he added.

The Staff of the Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo) announced they will on Friday, 29 November 2019 stage a demonstration on government to settle over GHS1.2 billion owed the company by ECG, VALCO, PDS and NEDCO.

At a press conference held last week, the staff threatened to declare a sit down strike if government fails to meet their demands by December 4, 2019.

President of the Senior Staff and the Divisional Union of GRIDCo, Raphael Kornor said “We are going to withdraw all emergency services. We are going to treat all emergency services within the normal working hours. In times past GRIDCo staff will be sleeping, they will call you and you will have to wake up. Ladies and Gentlemen we cannot do that again because our efforts are becoming effortless.”

“From Friday 22nd November 2019, staff will treat all emergency work as normal work within the normal working hours. From Friday 29th November 2019, staff are going to march to ECG office and picket in demand for our money. If by the close of work, Wednesday, December 4, 2019, all these things are not paid, we will declare a sit-down strike. He added.