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The Minority Leader in Parliament, Dr.  Cassiel Ato Forson, has stated that the debt in the energy sector poses the greatest risk to the nation’s economy.

“The reality, Mr. Speaker, is that this crippling indebtedness and the mess in the power sector, created by the Akufo Addo/Bawumia government, remains the biggest threat to the Ghanaian economy,” he said while addressing the State of the Nation Address (SONA) in parliament on Monday.

Dr. Forson observed that the substantial, dedicated revenues from the Energy Sector Levies Act (ESLA), which were left by President John Mahama to settle all the legacy debts in the energy sector, had been squandered by the current administration.

This, according to the Minority leader, has plunged the country in perpetual darkness. Some parts of the country experienced power outages at different times of the day.

The electricity company of Ghana has attributed these challenges to some maintenance works being undertaken by the power distributor. However, the minority leader and Member of Parliament for Ajuamko Esiam Enyan has disclosed that, the challenges being experienced lately is as a result of the accumulated debt which is yet to be paid by the Akufo -Addo government. 

He said, “This Akufo-Addo/Bawumia NPP government owes in excess of $1.5 billion to Independent Power Producers (IPPs)”.

“The Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government has resorted to a fire-fighting strategy, deliberately kicking the can down the road for the next NDC government to inherit its huge indebtedness to the IPPs,” he stated.