Akosombo substation fire should never have happened - Ben Boakye
Ben Boakye, Executive Director of the African Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP), described the fire outbreak at the Ghana Grid Company Limited substation near Akosombo as a preventable incident, blaming what he says is long-standing negligence and weak accountability within Ghana's power sector. Speaking on JoyNews' Newsfile on Saturday, May 2, he said the incident "should never have happened."
The fire outbreak occurred on Thursday, April 23, and gutted part of the Akosombo substation switchyard, disrupting transmission. Mr. Boakye explained that while generation assets such as turbines have seen upgrades, equal attention has not been paid to critical transmission infrastructure such as the switchyard that distributes power to homes. He stated, "You have a switchyard and control systems built in the 60s. We have retrofitted turbines, but we did not pay attention to the switchyard that carries the load to our homes." He contrasted the Akosombo facility with newer substations like Pokuase and Kasoa, which have modern safety systems.
Mr. Boakye further criticised what he described as weak accountability in the energy sector, arguing that institutional failures have long-term financial consequences for the country. He said, "Accountability is so defective in the energy sector. Basic things don't get done, and when they don't get done, they cost all of us billions of dollars."
Quick Summary
Ben Boakye of ACEP has commented on a recent fire at a GRIDCo substation near Akosombo. He suggests the incident highlights a worrying trend within Ghana's power sector - but what could that be?
Summary - read the full story for complete context.

Image: Joy Business
GhanaFront aggregates news from trusted sources. Click to read the original article.
Keywords
Explore related tagsMore from Joy Business
Related Stories
More from Business & Economy

BoG's performance should be judged by mandate, not balance sheet - Cudjoe Kuagbedzi
UMB Capital's Head of Finance says judging the BoG requires looking beyond the numbers - but at what, exactly?
17h ago•










