Cut power supply to MMDAs if…

The Minister of Energy and Petroleum, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, has directed the Volta River Authority (VRA) to cut-off power supply to any government department, institution, agency or district assembly that would default in payment of monthly electricity bills.

According to him, government was not in the position to accumulate the huge bills of the various Ministries, Agencies, Departments and Institutions of the state any longer, as occurred in previous administrations.

The Government of Ghana, in spite of its limited financial resources and the seemingly general economic hardships facing its people, has been wholly responsible for the payment of utility bills of almost all the public institutions.

This practice inarguably has led to misuse of utilities by most public institutions and departments, thereby putting unnecessary pressure on the state's purse.

However, in trying to control or possibly eliminate the extravagant usage of energy, especially electricity, the government of Ghana, through the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum has directed that every state institution should be responsible for, or be prepared to foot their own electricity bills from their annual budgets.

Speaking at a meeting with officials of the Volta River Authority and the Northern Electricity Distribution Company (NEDCo) in Tamale, as part of his three day working tour of the three Northern Regions to inspect ongoing rural electrification projects by the government, the Energy Minister insisted that all departments and MMDAs must be provided with pre-paid meters to ensure they use energy responsibly.

Mr. Armah-Kofi Buah lamented the usual unfortunate practice where Ministers, Chief Directors and other government officials comfortably and continuously leave their air-conditioners, fridges and other powerful electrical gadgets in their homes and offices on and accumulate bills for the government to pay.

He was of the hope that effective and regular payment of bills by the MMDAs would not only lessen the burdens of the government, but would also relief the ordinary masses from paying more than they could bear.

"If ordinary Ghanaians are being asked to pay realistic utility bills then what is wrong for MMDAs to also do same? He questioned.

The Minister revealed that the Akosombo Dam was currently in a critical stage due to low volumes of water flowing into the dam this year. He, therefore, cautioned the Ministries, departments, businesses and the citizenry to preserve energy.

Mr. Armah-Kofi Buah cautioned the VRA and the electricity company of Ghana to make sure that they use the new tariff adjustment to bring about efficiency in the supply of electricity to Ghanaians.

He also said that the government was determined to making energy more accessible and affordable to all Ghanaians, including the rural folks, to save the country's forest from collapse.

Government has as a result, launched a new initiative in Garu in the Upper East Region to promote the use of LPG gas as an alternative source of energy for the rural dwellers.

The Energy Minister also asked the contractors executing the ongoing government's rural electrification project to speed up the work. So far, 500 deprived communities are to benefit from the project in the Northern Region.