Energy Minister Suspends GRIDCo CEO, Conducts Major Shake-Up at ECG
- John Jinapor, the Minister for Energy and Green Transition, has asked the CEO of GRIDCo to step aside due to the fire outbreak at the Akosombo power station
- According to Felix Kwakye Ofosu, the Minister for Government Communications, John Jinapor has also changed the management of the Ashanti Region ECG
- Fire razed a substation near the Akosombo dam, which caused a shutdown, removing about 1,000 megawatts of power from Ghana’s national electricity supply
The Minister for Energy and Green Transition, John Jinapor, has ordered the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDCo) to step aside for an investigation into a fire incident at Akosombo power control to be carried out.
Source: Facebook
The directive was disclosed by Minister for Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu.
Fire at Akosombo power control
Fire razed a substation near the Akosombo Dam, which caused a shutdown, removing about 1,000 megawatts of power from Ghana’s national electricity supply.
According to Richmond Rockson, the Head of Communications at the Ministry, the incident has affected power generation and could impact power supply in the country.
Speaking on Accra-based Joy FM, Richmond Rockson said:
"Our peak demand is about 4,400 megawatts. Akosombo gives us approximately 1,000 megawatts, and as we speak, we have lost close to that."
He added that the effect was severe because the country does not have enough reserve power to manage such a sudden disruption. According to him, an efficient power system should have about 20 per cent of its generation capacity kept as a reserve for emergencies.
He indicated that even though they are facing a major challenge, they are confident that the engineers will work to solve the issues.
Energy Minister suspends GRIDCo boss
Meanwhile, the Minister for Energy and Green Transition, John Jinapor has directed the CEO of GRIDCo to step aside as investigations go on.
In a post by Felix Kwakye Ofosu on X, he said there had been a the the centreshake-up2 pmmajor shake-up in the leadership of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) in the Ashanti Region.
He, however, did not state the reasons for the shake-up but rather disclosed that John Jinapor will brief Ghanaians on his sector on Monday, April 27, 2026.
"Minister for Energy and Green Transition has asked the CEO of GRIDCo to step aside pending investigations into the fire incident at Akosombo power control centre. Also, there has been a major shake-up in the leadership of the ECG in the Ashanti Region. At 2 pm tomorrow, Minister for Energy and Green Transition, Hon John Jinapor, will hold a major briefing on recent developments in electricity distribution."
Source: YEN.com.gh
