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23.11.2014 Feature Article

I WILL TELL THE BIG SIX – What Ghana Needs Is A Ministry Of Common Sense, Not Ministry Of Power

I WILL TELL THE BIG SIX – What Ghana Needs Is A Ministry Of Common Sense, Not Ministry Of Power
23.11.2014 LISTEN

Charles Spurgeon once said, “Wisdom is the right use of knowledge. To know is not to be wise. Many men know a great deal, and are all the greater fools for it. There is no fool so great a fool as a knowing fool. But to know how to use knowledge is to have wisdom”.

There was an announcement from the presidency that the ECG boss has been sacked and a new ministry of power was being created to bring about a sharper focus on power generation and distribution. I simply cannot understand why the ECG boss should be sacked at this time.

Over the last two months and especially in the last two weeks, there have been admittedly very dangerous levels of 'dum sor dum sor' in the country. This situation represents what the people of Ghana have been subjected over the last 5-6 years especially. What we have been told time and again each time we question the government or ECG on the said occurrence, is that, there is a shortfall in production as a result of some gas pipeline issues or because there is a problem with some generators so those plants have been shut down.

We have also been told on a countless number of occasions that EC is not in charge of electricity generation but rather VRA and GRIDCO do that. The job of the ECG has been one of electricity distribution and tariff collection. So I am at a loss as to why the ECG boss should be the one being axed rather than those in charge of production who we are told are the cause of the problem.

Also, are we being told through the creation of the ministry of power that, each time the country (the government) is overwhelmed by a problem, then a new ministry will be created to deal with the problem? If that is so, then we might as well create a sanitation ministry? Suhum-Nsawam highway ministry? Government workers strike prevention ministry? etc etc. This is how ridiculous the whole idea of creating a ministry of power sounds to me.

Common sense would have demanded that just like the ministry of foreign affairs has several “desks” which deal with countries grouped in certain categories, our ministry of energy and petroleum would have a similar structure like that of the foreign affairs ministry with highly competent technocrats manning these directorates. If for some reason the government is unhappy with the performance of the power directorate, an audit can be conducted into its operations or better still, the head can be sacked or the minister in charge of energy and petroleum can be sacked.

I do not understand why ECG boss should be the one being axed when he is not involved in electricity generation or a new ministry of power being created to “waste” state resources when we seem overwhelmed with a problem.

My suspicion is that the government is not being truthful to the people of Ghana as to the real reasons behind these frequent power outages. Our fathers say that, “if your mother is dead and you say she is asleep, when her corpse starts to decompose, we will all notice it”. Until our government comes clean on the real challenges in the energy sector and how to deal with them, we will keep going round in circles and still not find a solution to the almighty “dum sor dum sor”.

In that respect, what Ghana needs is a ministry of common sense because to me, that is our only problem in this country. We cannot expect to do things the same way and expect different results. If government institutions and some private companies owe the ECG millions of Ghana cedis in tariffs how can we expect the company to have adequate resources to perform to the optimum. There are also still several areas in the country where illegal connection is the order of the day, and it is not as if these areas are not known to those in authority.

Common sense is what we need to realize that until we treat the ECG as a profit making company, we will never have enough money to invest in the power sector even if we create a hundred more ministries of power. Several companies and government institutions owe the ECG and Ghana water company, and steps should be taken to recoup that money to invest into the power sector now.

Proverbs 8 vs 1-5 reads “Does not wisdom call out? Does not understanding raise her voice? At the highest point along the way, where the paths meet, she takes her stand; beside the gate leading into the city, at the entrance, she cries aloud: “To you, O people, I call out; I raise my voice to all mankind. You who are simple, gain prudence; you who are foolish, set your hearts on it”

Until I write to you again, good bye for now.

YOUR GRANDSON.

ALBERT OPARE. [email protected] ibelieveinghana.blogspot.com

The Author Albert Opare is a political science graduate from the University of Ghana and a social commentator as well as a social & political activist. He is also a freelance writer. You can contact the author by mail on [email protected] or txt on 0575125101. Comments and Criticisms are welcome.

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