The Deputy Minister of Energy and Green Transition, Richard Gyan Mensah, says he deliberately removed the generator from his home to personally experience the power outages affecting many Ghanaians.

Speaking on JoyNews’s PM Express, he explained that the decision was intended to keep him connected to the realities on the ground.

“Immediately I was given my position as Deputy Energy Minister, I took off the generator… because I wanted to feel what Ghanaians go through when the light goes off. I wanted to experience it,” he said.

Mensah noted that a surge in electricity demand earlier this year placed significant pressure on the distribution system, leading to overloaded transformers in some areas.

“At the beginning of the year, demand quickly shot up. That meant a lot more pressure on the sources of distribution, and in some areas, transformers became overloaded,” he explained.

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He added that checks revealed overloaded transformers were a major cause of outages in several communities, though response teams have been addressing faults swiftly.

“Most of the cases have received very prompt responses,” he said.

Beyond the technical challenges, Mensah emphasised that his decision was driven by a desire to better understand public frustration.

“If my light goes off, I quickly receive a call or a text message from people in my area. I monitor restoration efforts in real time, and I get feedback when power is restored,” he noted.

He acknowledged that the experience has reshaped his perspective on the importance of reliable electricity supply.

“People measure us by how they are able to get constant and reliable power. I wanted to be in that ordinary state to see how it feels when somebody’s light goes off,” he said, stressing that without such firsthand experience, the impact of outages could easily seem abstract.

Mensah indicated that the decision is not permanent, saying he would restore his generator once improvements in the system are evident.

He also revealed that he has avoided alternatives such as solar power to remain aligned with the circumstances of the average Ghanaian.

“Installing solar could solve it, but if I install solar, then what about the ordinary Ghanaian who doesn’t have what it takes to install solar?” he asked.

SO/SA