Kwesi Pratt says that the power challenges were already in place before January 7, 2025
Veteran journalist Kwesi Pratt Jnr. has slammed critics of President John Dramani Mahama over over the recent power outages in the country.
According to him, such criticisms are unfair, he argued that the current administration inherited a deeply troubled energy sector.
Speaking on Metro TV’s Good Morning Ghana on February 26, 2025, Mr. Pratt dismissed claims that the resurgence of ‘dumsor’ was solely the fault of the Mahama-led government, emphasising that the challenges were already in place before January 7, 2025.
“And this reference to ‘dumsor’, I think, is absolutely laughable. We know the state of the energy sector, especially the power sector, before the 7th of January 2025. And all the indications before the 7th of January 2025 were that we were going to get into some power crisis,” he stated.
According to him, the power sector was burdened with a debt of more than $2.5 billion when Mahama took office, making it unrealistic to expect an immediate resolution to the challenges.
“What magic are you expecting from the power sector?” he questioned.
He added, “So it is true that he’s been in power for two months, and within those two months, there has been power curtailment and so on. But why is that? His burden is to resolve the problem, but it is not his administration that created the problem.”
Mr. Pratt’s remarks come amid criticism from the Minority in Parliament, which has accused President Mahama of failing to address the country’s erratic power situation since taking office.
At a recent press briefing, Nhyiaeso MP, Dr. Stephen Amoah called on the President to provide a clear explanation for the worsening power situation.
He argued that former President Nana Akufo-Addo had successfully stabilised the energy sector before leaving office and questioned why the current administration was struggling to maintain stable electricity supply.
Meanwhile, watch some highlights from parliamentary proceedings below:
ID/EK