Here comes Dumsor!

Interestingly, in the 2013 World Bank’s Enterprise Survey on African economy, with special emphasis on Nigeria and Ghana, the report concludes that ‘dumsor’ (erratic electricity supply) is the biggest obstacle to the economic growth in Africa and hindrance to multi-national investors (World Bank 2013).

The revoltingly annoying and costly buzzing of generators across the length and breadth of the country, unfortunately, went on for well over five years to the utter dismay of the good people of Ghana.

Given the negative effects of dumsor on Ghanaians, it would only take a disputatious character to suggest that discerning Ghanaians have soon forgotten and forgiven Mahama for wilfully collapsing their businesses through dumsor.

We cannot also deny or hide the fact that for well over five years, Mahama’s dumsor unfortunately crippled businesses as a result of the mismanagement of the economy.

In fact, some of us can understand how and why some concerned Ghanaians, including some supporters within the NDC, have been expressing their arousing disgust over former President Mahama’s desperation to return to the presidency after being voted out massively in 2016 and 2020 due to his abysmal performance.

^{Apparently, the sceptics insist that Mahama was not up to the task during his tenure in office and therefore do not expect discerning Ghanaians to forgive and forget his dreadful errors in judgment and vote him back to the presidency in 2024.}

If you may remember, the then running mate of NPP, Dr Mahmoud Bawumia, made it clear to the good people of Ghana that the dumsor was as a result of financial constraints due to Mahama administration’s unpardonable economic mismanagement.

As it was expected back then, the NDC faithful vehemently and needlessly refuted Dr Mahmoud Bawumia’s revelation.

The erstwhile Mahama administration rather paid dubious judgement debts to a tune of GH800 million instead of purchasing fuel to generate power.

In fact, it is not farfetched to conclude that the Mahama administration did not attach heightened importance to the power crisis. It was political insobrieties as usual.

^{The vast majority of the NDC loyalists are living in a denial about former President Mahama’s perceived capability and popularity and will thus push him to another embarrassment in 2024.}

^{Where is the justification about former President Mahama’s popularity and competence when his terrible errors in judgement sent Ghanaians into darkness for well over five years?}

^{How can the diehard supporters convince some of us about former President Mahama’s ability to lead Ghana again when he woefully wasted Ghana’s scarce resources instead of purchasing fuel to generate power?}

Evidently, in the gloomy days of dumsor under Mahama’s administration, amid plangent buzzing of generators all over the country, most businesses folded up amid massive unemployment.

In those days, self-employers like Hairdressers, Ice Kenkey Sellers, Butchers, among others, were the worst affected.

Disappointingly, however, in his desperation to solve the serious problem such as dumsor, Mahama administration bizarrely sign a superfluous ‘Take or Pay’ Power Purchasing Agreements (PPAs) in which Ghana is needlessly paying over $600 million per year for extra power we do not need.

By lackadaisically signing the excessive Power Purchasing Agreements and entering into a calamitous ‘Take or Pay’ deal, Ghanaian consumers are unfairly being forced to pay exorbitant electricity tariffs as a result of the Mahama government’s negligence.

Delightfully, however, the dumsor has since been brought under control by the current administration.

Shockingly, given the fact that dumsor massively affected the businesses of the diehard supporters of NDC, it is quite ironic that the same people are clamouring for the return of someone who wilfully collapsed their businesses through erratic electricity supply (dumsor).

It is only the brassbound NDC supporters who will refuse to recollect the negative effects of Mahama’s dumsor on Ghana’s economy.

While some of us wholly understand the concerned Ghanaians inexpressible anguish over Mahama’s desperate attempt to reclaim the presidency, the NDC loyalists, unfortunately, seem oblivious to the dire consequences of Mahama returning to the Jubilee House.

But some of us, as a matter of principle, are not oblivious to the negative effects of dumsor, and therefore we are well-aware of the apocalypse of Mahama reclaiming the presidency.

K. Badu, UK.
[email protected]