Open Letter To The Energy Minister; Cease The Mere Rhetorics And Fix The Dumsor Situation As Promised

Dear Hon. John Abdulai Jinapor!

With all due respect, I write this piece to remind you of your promises to fix the ongoing dumsor challenges, and I hope this letter finds you hale and hearty and in good spirits.

Your appointment was greeted with mixed feelings, especially with the conscious efforts to tackle this pertinent issue of unending power outages in some parts of the Country.

Mr. John Jinapor, ever since the new administration led by President Mahama took over on January 7, 2025, the promise was to tackle head-on the persistent issue of power outages in the Country.

As part of the perceived readiness by President Mahama and the NDC government to end dumsor, President Mahama appointed you (Hon. John Abdulai Jinapor) as part of the first list of the President's Ministers nominees.

This appointment was necessitated by the President's firm commitment to end the frequent power outages, which continue to have negative effects on businesses and households.

Without being partisan and sound political, you were on the previous government challenging some of the decisions taken concerning the management of the Energy sector debt and supply of power.

You vehemently opposed and sometimes hit hard on the NPP administration and with the level of your experience and expertise. Many Ghanaians believed in your fearless and bold viewpoints.

Mr. Jinapor, you reechoed your firm zeal and commitment to help President Mahama fix and manage successfully the energy sector challenges, i.e., debt and some of the losses made by ECG, in which you indicated clearly to privatize the Company to ensure efficiency and good management.

However, the power situation seems to be worsening, and Ghanaians are lamenting with tongues wagging, especially with the continuous power outages, despite your promise to fix the situation.

Without any ambiguity, what's currently ongoing isn't what Ghanaians expected, even though the new administration is just three months, and they are questioning the full commitment of your ministry. In short, are you in full control, Mr. John Jinapor?

In most of your encounters with the media, it's obvious that you continue to lament and also blame the previous government for what's transpiring in the energy sector of the Country.

Fundamentally, I strongly believe this consistent talk without action casts doubt on your ability to deliver irrespective of the promise to fix dumsor. Action, they say, speaks louder than words, and Ghanaians won't be happy with such utterances without any viable solutions.

Combing through social media, watching TV and listening to the Radio, I can state empathetically that the power situation has worsened ever since you took over. Ghanaians continue to cry out loud with unbearable situations they find themselves at homes, offices, and business places.

No one can deny the significant fact that the constant supply of electricity plays an enormous role since a majority of businessmen and women rely on it to facilitate their businesses to ensure increased production. The situation is not only experienced in Greater Accra, Kumasi, and Tamale but also in other Regions like Volta, Western Region, Eastern, and other parts of the Country.

Simply put, Hon. Jinapor, I'm sometimes dumbfounded by your posturing on dealing with the root cause of the problem. Why do I say so? In some instances, you retorted that we have excess capacity and that we export power to some of our neighboring countries.

Importantly, why this unending power outage? Not quite long ago, you stated clearly that we are not experiencing dumsor, and there's no need for a load-shedding timetable. But the situation is not changing.

With the greatest of respect, President Mahama stated on January 22, 2025, in clear terms, that his government, which you are the sector minister, has averted the looming threat of dumsor reported by Citinewsonline. You again have been reported by StarFm to also categorically state that we are not experiencing dumsor.

In addition to this, key members of your Party also took to their social media handles to state that you inherited an energy sector crippled by unsustainable debt, and you are innovatively working around the clock to turn the situation around.

Be that as it may, Ghanaians voted for the NDC and also reposed confidence in your Party's resolve to avert the situation, but this kind of lamentation doesn't bring relief to the people. It rather seems to expose your love for talk without any vivid directions.

Carefully, I don't want to sound malicious and hard on your level of expertise and experience when it comes to Energy and the power sector management. Perhaps your utterances don't bring hope and confidence, and this tends to bring your name into the mud.

The hardest hit when it comes to the power outages is the greater Kumasi, and it has prompted the Regional minister to call on you, the sector minister, to come to their aid. Indeed, you visited Kumasi on Monday, March 17, 2025, to ascertain the level and the sorry state of the residents, businessmen, and women are being subjected.

What sounded amusing was when your Party's sympathizer, Mr. Appiah Stadium, bumped into you by being on his knees, begging you to resolve the dumsor situation the people of Kumasi are grappling with.

Hon. Minister, the ball is in your court to apply all your expertise and experience to find a lasting solution to the Dumsor debacle. Cease the mere rhetorics and act accordingly, devoid of unnecessary blame games and lamentations.

President Nana Addo's administration successfully managed the power situation better despite some challenges, and it never worsened to the level we are encountering. Ghanaians have expressed disappointment and dismay at the persistent power outages across the Country.

In summary, Ghanaians won't forgive you once the situation remains the same despite the talk without action. Hon. Jinapor, are you in control, or do you need more hands to help you deliver on your mandate as Energy minister?

The time is now to resolve the dumsor situation. Yes, it's time and no amount of PR gimmick can salvage the unbearable situation Ghanaians are subjected to. Fix it and cease the mere rhetorics. We are tired.

Shalom!

By: Abdulai Abdul-Razak
Tamale South Constituency
abdulrazakabdulai940@gmail.com

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