I deliberately took off my generator to experience the feeling of Ghanaians - Deputy Energy Minister on power outage

Richard Gyan Mensah, Deputy Energy Minister, revealed that he "deliberately removed the generator from his home" immediately after being given his position. He said he did this "because at that point I wanted to feel what Ghanaians go through when the light goes off, I want to experience it." He confirmed that he sleeps in the dark.

Mr. Mensah explained that rising demand at the start of the year has strained the power system, causing overloaded transformers and outages in several communities. He said response teams have been quick to act. He stated that last Saturday, between 6am and about 12pm, the light was off at his house. He has resisted alternatives like solar power. He admitted that he is "having some issues" at home because of his decision and that his wife is not comfortable with it.

Mr. Mensah said he is "looking at improving the system" and "when I know Ghanaians are okay, I'll bring it back."