Bawumia said Mahama solved 'dumsor' so why is NPP taking credit for it? – Sammy Gyamfi asks

The main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has wondered why the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) is taking credit for solving 'dumsor', when Vice-President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia conceded that the erstwhile Mahama administration solved it.

“These people [NPP], who have not added a single megawatt to Ghana’s generation capacity, who have not done anything; their only record in the energy and power sector is PDS, are busy going about claiming credit for fixing dumsor – a problem which they themselves conceded had been fixed by President Mahama even before they took office”, National Communication Officer of the NDC, Mr Sammy Gyamfi said at a press conference on Thursday, November 26, 2020.

According to Mr Gyamfi, the Minister of Energy, John Peter Amewu, also admitted on the same station that the Akufo-Addo government had not added any additional capacity to Ghana’s power generation pool and “yet, because these people are incapable of speaking the truth, because they are so dishonest and deceitful because they are so corrupt, they are going about deceiving people that: ‘we solved 'dumsor’ and sponsoring adverts on all the radio and tv stations that they solved 'dumsor'”.

A few weeks ago, the presidential candidate of the NDC, Mr John Mahama, waded into the dumsor debate, insisting he ended the power rationing before exiting office in 2016 and accused the Akufo-Addo government of using lies to steal credit for that feat.

Addressing members and supporters of the NDC at Ashalley Botwe on Tuesday, 3 November 2020, the former president explained that it was during his administration that the Ameri power plant and Karpowership were procured and brought to Ghana which helped to end dumsor in December 2015.

“Those two new power plants we brought led to an end to dumsor”, he said.

According to him, “the NPP thinks Ghanaians aren’t smart enough; they think our memory is blurry”.

“There was no dumsor in 2016”, he stressed.

“There was no power cuts or power rationing in 2016 but if the NPP claims they ended dumsor, I dare them to show me just one power plant they brought into the country to add to the already-existing ones”, he challenged.

“Zero megawatt”, he noted, emphasising: “They’ve not added even one megawatt to the existing one”.

He recounted that virtually all governments, since independence, added some megawatts to Ghana’s power production capacity except the Akufo-Addo government.

“Nkrumah gave us Akosombo dam, Acheampong gave us Kpong dam, President Rawlings gave us Aboadze Power Plant, President Kufuor added his, so did President Mills. I also added mine. This is the only government in the history of Ghana that has failed to add a single megawatt to Ghana’s power pool”, Mr Mahama noted.

Joining the debate at a point was the Apostle General of Royalhouse Chapel International, Rev Sam Korankye Ankrah, who said Mr Mahama, as president, stabilised the erratic power situation that bedevilled his presidency before leaving office.

“You say John Mahama hasn’t done anything for this nation? That’s a lie. He was able to stabilise electricity and power before he left office”, Rev Korankye Ankrah told his congregation on Sunday, 1 November 2020 when he catalogued the achievements of all the Presidents of the fourth republic, as part of his teachings about honouring rather than insulting the political fathers of the land.

“John Mahama did roads; let’s stop this hypocrisy and childishness”, he said.

According to Rev Korankye Ankrah, every Ghanaian leader has contributed to the country’s development and must, therefore, be honoured and not denigrated because of politics.