A 2016 presidential aspirantofthe People’s National Convention (PNC), Dr. Edward Mahama, has condemned government for failing to manage the energy sector, which according to him, has led to the current energy crisis.
According to him, the engine of growth of every country is the energy sector; hence, the ‘mismanagement’ of the sector government has collapsed the various sectors of the economy.
Speaking to the DAILY HERTAGE in an interview, Dr. Mahama, a long time presidential candidate of the PNC expressed worry about why Ghanaians had to suffer for the lack of vision on the part of government officials, saying, “it is sad to see the innocent ones suffering from other people’s inefficiency.”
He was of the opinion that businesses will begin to thrive in the country when government finds a lasting solution to the current power crisis. This, Dr. Mahama said, will fix the issue of mass unemployment facing the country.
“The number one issue is to fix the energy crisis. Businesses cannot run because they do not have sufficient power supply and that means they cannot employ people.
“Industries need energy and even the service industry such as the hospital needs energy; so basically the number one problem which needs to be tackled to solve the unemployment problem in the country is energy,” he argued.
Moving forward, the three-time presidential aspirant said the installed capacity for generating power is underutilized, adding that, the issue will be solved when the facility is properly managed and maintained.
“You put a generating plant which is going to use gas to generate power for the nation and you are unable to produce the needed gas to run it. How will they generate the power?” he stressed.
Touching on his ambition to lead the party in the 2016 general election, Dr. Mahama disclosed that, his vision to transform Ghana and make life comfortable for the citizenry informed his decision to vie for the position.
He added that, the PNC is much prepared to capture power from the National Democratic Congress than they were prior to the previous elections.
“I want Ghanaians to understand that the PNC is ready, and I want to warn the so-called bigger parties to beware because the PNC is coming,” he said.
According to him, the party had everything in place to win the 2012 election, but admitted that Ghanaians opted for other alternatives.
“I think that nothing went wrong. Elections are opportunities for the electorate to make a decision and they chose the NDC.
“They may have made a wrong decision, but they have made the decision. We haven’t done anything wrong at all, they made the decision and must live with it,” he argued.
When asked about his chances, Dr. Mahama said “I am still doing my underground work. I don’t underrate anybody, anyone who is competing is a formidable contestant and this shows how prepared we are for 2016.”
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