Economist Professor Godfred Bokpin has cautioned that recurring power outages and persistent infrastructure challenges are signs that Ghana is gradually becoming a failed state, warning that the situation is increasing the cost of doing business and weakening investor confidence.

His remarks follow the widespread power outage that affected parts of Accra on Wednesday, July 29, 2026.

Speaking at the Prudential Bank Business Seminar on Transforming Cross-Border Trade, Professor Bokpin described the prolonged electricity disruption in the national capital as unacceptable.

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“We are becoming a failed state. Can you imagine in a serious country, your capital has been without power for almost six hours? That is not something we should talk about as theory. That is serious,” he said.

Professor Bokpin questioned Ghana’s ability to respond effectively to such disruptions, arguing that the absence of reliable backup systems creates uncertainty for businesses and discourages investment.

“What is the backup? What is the plan? How do we move forward with this? How do investors plan with this? How do investors do their business model with this? We should not allow this to continue,” he stated.

He further argued that when the government is unable to provide essential public services such as electricity, water, healthcare and education, the private sector is forced to step in at a higher cost, placing additional financial pressure on households and businesses.

“When the state fails in the provision of basic services like water, education and health, the private sector steps in at a higher cost. That is why there is a reason why the state cannot fail and the state should not fail because it is the reason why the state is conceptualised as a tax state,” he remarked.

According to him, ensuring a reliable electricity supply is one of the state’s most important responsibilities.

“The state must provide reliable power,” he stressed.

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The economist also called for increased investment in infrastructure, estimating that Ghana needs to invest at least $10 billion annually over the next decade to bridge its infrastructure gap.

He urged the government to make greater use of public-private partnerships (PPPs) to finance major infrastructure projects instead of relying mainly on public funds.

DR/MA