Anna Bjerde, the World Bank’s Managing Director of Operations, has encouraged Ghana’s government to implement an emergency action plan to address the country’s energy issue.

The World Bank, she says, is committed to providing technical assistance to ensure that Ghana’s energy sector contributes to economic resilience.

She made the comments while speaking at a news conference in Accra.

While Ghana’s energy difficulties are not unique, they do require immediate response, according to Bjerde.

She warned that Ghana risk having financial burdens on the state, diverting resources from other crucial areas if it did not take steps to address the issues raised.

“The problems that Ghana is experiencing are not unique to Ghana, but they are very serious because if they are not addressed they will get worse and worse. If not arrested and addressed with really an emergency action plan it will get worse and it will cost the state more to keep the energy sector running at a time when they need to spend money on other things.

“The World Bank is providing first of all technical advise on what needs to be done, so the metering, the billing, the collection and making sure that you have an account set up so from which all the different flows of the revenues collected flows to where it needs to go so that those who are generating the electricity are paid.”