Manteaw rejects move to privatise ECG

Civil Society activist, Dr Steve Manteaw has opposed the idea of privatising the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG).

He argues that the privatisation of state entities has not yielded any positive results hence his rejection.

“Let anyone in favour of privatisation of ECG give me one example of privatisation,  either outright sale or PSP in the public sector, that has been successful, from the days of the Divestiture Implementation Committee to date.

“I strongly believe that if we can find ways of insulating ECG from political meddling, as we did with GCB and Goil, we can achieve the improvement we seek,” he wrote on his Facebook page at a time when the Energy and Green Transition Minister, John Abdulai Jinapor inaugurated a seven-member committee to explore options for private sector involvement in the operations of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG).

The inauguration of the committee is part of the government’s efforts to revitalise the state-owned entity.

The committee has Mr Jabesh Amisah-Arthur, an energy consultant, as Chairman and Dr Shafic Suleman as Secretary.

Other members are Mr Benjamin Boakye; Dr Simon Akorli, Mr Ebenezer Baiden, Mr Emma Akua Bulley and Mr Edward Abrokwah.

The Minister said the move came in response to longstanding challenges faced by ECG, including inefficiencies, financial losses, and growing debt, which had hindered its ability to deliver reliable electricity to Ghanaians consistently.

“…. We believe there should be private sector participation,” he said on Friday Janury 24.

Privatisation or some form of private-sector involvement could provide the resources, expertise, and efficiency required to turn around ECG’s fortunes and enhance electricity supply across the country, Mr Jinapor said.

He, therefore, emphasised a non-partisan approach to the process, stating the importance of neutrality and expertise in the committee’s composition.

“… We will stay off as politicians and let them develop a framework in a transparent, open, and frank manner. Once we get the buy-in of Ghanaians, we can set standards using a Request for Proposal (RFP) or competitive tender process,” he said.