Ghana’s power in danger over huge debts – Mahama blows alarm

Former President of Ghana, John Dramani Mahama says Independent Power Producers are threatening to shut down the power supply if the Finance Minister does not pay them.

According to him, the NDC government came up with the Energy Sector Levy Act through which the country could have paid the debt owed Independent Power Producers in five years.

However, the NPP according to him did not follow the plan which has ballooned the debt to 1.5 billion dollars hence the threats from the power producers to shut down the power supply to the country.

He said what the Minister does is that he talks to them and begs them not to shut down and when it gets critical, he finds some small money for them.

“Today, the single largest threat to the economy is almost 1.5 billion dollars that he owes independent power producers. We came up with the E.S.L.A and the way we structured the E.S.L.A over five to six years we would have finished paying off that debt. Today, that debt has ballooned to over 1.5 billion, the independent power producers are threatening to shut down this country’s power supply if the Finance Minister doesn’t pay them. He’s gone begging them when they threaten he will find a little money and go and give to them and ask them to be patient.”