Ghana plunged into darkness amid country’s economic woes – CNN on dumsor

• Ghana ‘s “Dumsor” Crisis: Power Blackouts and Economic Woes Hit Hard – CNN

As Ghana grapples with a severe economic crisis, the nation has been plunged into darkness, further exacerbating the challenges faced by its citizens. Large portions of the country are currently experiencing power blackouts due to gas shortages at a major power facility, according to a report by CNN. This power crisis has added to the woes of Ghana, which is enduring one of its worst economic crises in decades.

The power operator of the nation, the Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo), released a statement indicating that there is a “limited gas supply” at a power installation in Tema, east of Accra, the capital of Ghana. This gas shortage has resulted in a significant “supply gap of 550MW at peak time.” The situation has revived a familiar term among Ghanaians, “dumsor,” which refers to persistent and unpredictable power outages that have plagued the nation for many years.

Frustrated Ghanaians have expressed their dismay at the resurgence of “dumsor,” with one individual lamenting, “Dumsor is fully back, no announced timetables, no communication, nothing, just frequent random power outages.”

GRIDCo, in its statement, did not provide a specific timeline for when electricity would be restored to the affected areas, leaving citizens in the dark, both literally and figuratively.

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Recent studies have indicated that Ghana’s energy crisis is anticipated to worsen in the coming years, with the situation deteriorating starting from this year. The Centre for Socioeconomic Studies (CSS), a research and policy think tank, has emphasized the urgent need for substantial investment to address the precarious state of the country’s energy supply.

The CSS study, released in June, warned that the current energy provision in Ghana is in a critically unhealthy state and is on the brink of a power crisis. The country is expected to face dire energy challenges from 2023 and into the near future.

Compounding the energy crisis, residents of Ghana have had to bear the burden of rising energy tariffs, despite the persistent power shortages. Electricity tariffs increased by over 18% in May, following a nearly 30% hike earlier in the year. Additionally, in the face of a cost-of-living crisis, energy bills saw another increase of over 4% just last month.

This year, Ghana has been grappling with a series of economic shocks, including high inflation, a sharply depreciating local currency, mounting debts, and a federal budget weakened by the high costs of the energy sector amid low public revenues, according to the World Bank.

The soaring cost of living has led to anti-government protests and calls from the public for the removal of the country’s central bank chair, citing allegations of economic mismanagement. The central bank itself reported a record loss of 60.8 billion cedi (over $5 billion) in the previous year, marking its largest annual loss. The challenges facing Ghana are multi-faceted, encompassing both energy and economic woes, which continue to test the resilience of its people and policymakers alike.

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