Frequent Power Cuts (‘’Dumsor’’); Is There Not A Lasting Solution?

By: Frank Kyei Baffour

Indubitably, life presents everybody with some problems and our ability to solve them determines how ‘’strong’’ we are as humans. While some problems come to stay with us, others are temporal and can completely be solved. Even with permanent problems that life sometimes presents to us, we put in relentless effort to assuage them .Africa as a continent and Ghana for that matter can’t be excluded from countries which have been led by politicians who don’t find lasting or long term solutions to problems. When have we thought of finding a permanent place for market women and other sellers in bigger markets who sell on pavement blocks and block pedestrians than to keep on conducting decongestion exercises? What has kept Ghana from implementing strong accounting systems and controls to be able to detect all people who receive salaries without working (termed ‘’ghost names’’) in government sectors? Why are our financial administration laws so loose that, a lot of people take money surreptitiously but are not dealt with accordingly? Why do we not enforce laws to punish those who litter around to make the environment dirty rather than setting a day aside for sanitation? Your guess is as good as mine. Similarly, erratic power supply known as ‘’dumsor’’ in ‘’Ghanaian lexicon’’ and now on Wikipedia is another problem which needs a lasting or long term solution but has been watched blindly by current and previous governments.

Frequent power cuts termed ‘’dumsor’’ in Ghana has ignited the concern of many Ghanaians in recent times. Needless to say, this is not the only problem facing the country but has been given prominence in most discussions of late because of the weight it carries. Hydro power which has been the main source of electrical power to the people of Ghana has faced crisis in recent and past times.
Almost every household in the country rely on electrical power and its erratic supply adversely affects us all. Barbering shops and hair salons use electric power for their day-to-day activities. Some hospital equipment cannot function without electrical power, hence their malfunction lie in the thin dividing line of life and death of patients. Mechanics sometimes use electrical power in lorry repairs and maintenance. Industries which use larger equipment in production cannot function without electrical power; primary school pupils, secondary school students and tertiary education students have been affected academically by frequent power cuts. Farmers who use equipment that use electrical power in producing larger quantities of crops for the country have also had a fair share of this problem facing the country. Those who can afford to buy generators would also have to incur high cost on fuel.
Elsewhere in January this year, Adom fm reported that at least three babies died at the Nsawam Government hospital in the Eastern region due to the frequency of the country’s worsening power crisis. These were babies who were rushed to the intensive care unit of the hospital but passed away due to lack of power to sterilize equipment. Some cold store businesses have collapsed as most of the fish in refrigerators get rotten due to intermittent power supply. Large scale farmers have to reduce the quantity of production as their equipment cannot produce much due to this problem, other businesses have also collapsed and has exacerbated unemployment rate. Market women have complained of low demand for foodstuff and consequently a decline in revenue. This is because most people will not buy them in large quantities to preserve them in refrigerators due to energy crisis. These problems have also led to the decline in the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) hence a drastic fall in economic growth; other economic fundamentals have also been seriously affected. The repercussions are ‘’arguably’’ pervasive on the economy of the country.
Ever since two dams, the Akosombo and Kpong dams were built, Ghana has not been able to add significant power to the national grid until crisis beckon. An energy crisis in the 1990’s precipitated government’s acquisition of a thermal barge in 1997 to support the two dams under
Ex-president Rawlings. Another crisis cropped up in 2006/2007 and that necessitated the building of the Bui dam with a generation capacity of 400-megawatt under Ex-president Kuffour. In conclusion our leaders always wait for the problem to arise before they find solutions to them.
Admittedly, erratic power supply (‘’dumsor’’) is not a problem that is new to Ghana. We experienced it in the erstwhile Rawlings and Kuffour administrations albeit short periods (relative to what’s being experienced now).
These two leaders contributed to alleviating energy crisis in Ghana, however, the crux of the matter is providing lasting or long term solutions to this problem. In other words short term solutions were provided to ‘’end’’ the problem. The problem is overdue and has crippled the economy. There have been many promises to remove this albatross around our necks, but none has led to a fecund result. The situation has been a cause of worry and every concerned Ghanaian continues to think about the best possible solutions needed to put in place to solve it. Some perceive that due to the perquisites attached to most political positions, our politicians do not go through the plight of the ‘’ordinary’’ Ghanaian so far as this problem is concerned and have kept a nonchalant attitude towards it. Out of despair, you hear some of these questions from Ghanaians, ‘’When is ‘’dumsor’’ going to end?’’ ‘’So inspite of all the technocrats Ghana has, can’t we provide a lasting or long-term solution?’’ ‘’Does the president really think about us?’’ ‘’Is this problem going to continue like this?’’ ‘’What is the panacea to dumsor’’. Succinctly put, myriad of questions have flooded the minds of most Ghanaians of which there are no immediate answers to.
When it comes to spending money to win elections, politicians do not care where it would lead the country to. On the other hand, when it comes to spending money that Ghanaians may massively reap benefits from, they hesitate in doing so. Ghana’s debt continues rising at a ‘’stubbornly’’ high rate but unfortunately these borrowings have gone to benefit a selected few who are mostly politicians. How can our politicians be so unpatriotic and greedy? It’s obvious to say that the number of graduates who come out from the country’s various tertiary institutions does not commensurate its job opportunities. Disheartening as this may be, ‘’dumsor’’ has also contributed to aggravating the problem and our politicians sit down unconcerned. After all, they are never affected in any way, neither will their family members be affected.
Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana’s first president said ‘’the black man is capable of managing his own affairs and our beloved country is free for ever’’. Can this assertion made by the first president of Ghana be authenticated by the way most black African leaders rule their countries? After fifty-eight years of political independence, are we free ,if the citizens of our beloved country are sinking helplessly in a quagmire of despondency because ‘’dumsor’’ ‘’can’t be solved’’. After fifty-eight years of political independence, Ghana is led by politicians who are business men in disguise with intent to milk the country dry; those who cannot find solutions to our problems. After fifty-eight years of political independence, are you happy when a problem arises which the incumbent government finds difficult solving, it tells you that the previous one also couldn’t solve? Poor benchmarking at its apogee! This is an attitude which is common with most political parties in Ghana. In my beloved country called Ghana , any person who criticizes the incumbent government is perceived to be a member or supporter of the opposition. This is sad to say.
Take energy out of the economy and you are left with a ‘’skeleton’’ economy. Our ailing economy now crippled by ‘’dumsor’’ should not be played with partisan politics for the entire country to continue to suffer the repercussions .It’s true that the babies who passed away at the Nsawam Government hospital and other hospitals as a result of ‘’dumsor’’ cannot be resuscitated but when the status quo changes it would prevent similar occurrences in the future. The mess it has already created will not occur again in the future if the problem is solved. Our politicians should work above and beyond the call of their duties and bear in mind that, leaders who did so have never been forgotten. What comes in mind when you hear these names, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah and other members of the big six, Martin Luther King Junior, Thomas Jefferson, Nelson Mandela, Margret Thatcher, Abraham Lincoln, Quincy Adams? These leaders have reaped the benefits of all they gave to their countries and their children’s children haven’t been left out of all these benefits. So what have Ghanaians done to swallow the bitter pill of ‘’dumsor’’? It should be noted that, something that belongs to everybody belongs to nobody. If Ghana belongs to every Ghanaian and for that matter nobody, our politicians should note that Ghana is not for any particular individual and not for them as well.
It would be recalled that in 2014 the lights went out for few minutes at parliament and parliamentarians never expected this. Consequently, the speaker, Mr Edward Doe Adjaho set up an adhoc committee to investigate frequent power cuts to the house. He had enough intact brain cells to set up this committee to conduct such an investigation because it affected them adversely, but has never thought of what adversely affects the ‘’ordinary’’ Ghanaian. Our problems as Ghanaians should therefore be managed with fretful concern by our leaders just as they do in handling their own. It has therefore become imperative for the government to put in short and medium term solutions to mitigate the problem and later find a long-term or lasting solution in addressing the problem.
To address this in a non-partisan perspective but in its forthrightness, the problem which has gone unabated and started in August, 2012 is ‘’killing’’ Ghanaians. Sadly, we are so deeply divided along political, ethnic and religious lines that someone may be quick to place me in one narrow box or the other for addressing this issue in its forthrightness. Before someone hastens to put me in a narrow box, we should bear in mind that, this problem affects Ghanaians at large and not members of a particular political party. Dear reader, before you hurry to narrow me in a box ,think about Ghana first before you think about the political party you belong to or support; think about the concomitant effects of ‘’dumsor’’ and you will never mince words when addressing issues of national concern.

‘’Dumsor’’ has given a poignant edge to discussion and its mention does not appear pleasant to the ear of any concerned Ghanaian and should never be viewed in a partisan perspective. Ghanaians are waiting to heave a huge sigh of relief when ‘’dumsor’’ is declared history. I have only expressed these opinions as a concerned Ghanaian, a public intellectual and scholar, you can choose to admire, imbibe and digest the beauty of the ugly and the wisdom in the nonsensical. God bless our homeland Ghana and make our political leaders visionary and patriotic. Bold to implement lasting or long-term solution to ‘’dumsor’’ and free the citizens of Ghana from such misfortune.

AUTHOR: FRANK KYEI BAFFOUR
The author can be reached via frakyeb@gmail.com