The Minister for Energy and Green Transition, John Abdulai Jinapor, has appealed to Ghanaians affected by recent power outages following heavy rains and flooding to remain patient as engineers work to restore electricity supply to impacted communities.
According to the Minister, electricity distribution authorities deliberately switched off several transformers as a safety measure after floodwaters rose to dangerous levels, stressing that the decision was necessary to protect lives, technical personnel and critical power infrastructure.
“Yesterday, following the floods, the water had risen so much that we took a decision that we had to put some of the transformers off in the interest of public safety, in the interest of the safety of our own men, and also to protect the integrity of the transformers,” he explained.
Mr. Jinapor noted that the decision sparked mixed reactions on social media, with some people criticising the power cuts while others argued that switching off electricity during floods was the safest option.
He also referred to reports circulating online suggesting that someone may have died from electrocution during the flooding, although he said the information had not been independently verified.
“I was monitoring social media. One group said ECG was insensitive for switching off the power during the floods, while another group questioned why we had not switched off the electricity earlier. Sometimes we have to make difficult decisions under such circumstances,” he said.
The Minister stressed that public safety remains the government’s top priority during emergencies and urged citizens to bear with the electricity distribution companies as restoration works continue.
He assured the public that engineers are working to restore power as quickly and safely as possible once floodwaters recede and the affected infrastructure is declared safe.
