President John Dramani Mahama has assured Ghanaians that the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) will not be privatized under his administration, reaffirming his commitment to strengthening the public sector.
His comments come in response to growing concerns about the possible privatization of the country’s main power distributor, amid fears of collapse linked to heavy indebtedness and poor management.
Addressing workers at the 2025 May Day celebration held at the Black Star Square in Accra on Thursday, May 1, President Mahama outlined his plans to improve power distribution through public-private partnerships rather than full privatization.
“The ECG has been brought to its knees by a culture of poor governance over the last eight years, resulting in a debt of 68 billion Ghana cedis and rising,” he said.
“If we do not take proactive measures, our power system will collapse. We can only bring down tariffs if we improve the efficiency of the distribution of power.”
He was emphatic in dispelling fears of privatization, stating: “Let me assure you that it is not my intention to privatize ECG as an institution. Our attention is more on public-private collaboration to inject efficiency into our downstream electricity distribution system.”
President Mahama’s comments are expected to bring some relief to labor unions and energy sector stakeholders who have expressed concerns over the potential privatization of the ECG.