A recent report by Seth Owusu-Mante for the International Perspective for Policy and Governance (IPPG) asserts that the ongoing power sector crisis in Ghana cannot be solely blamed on the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG). Released in July 2025, the report, titled Securing Ghana’s Energy Future: Policy Actions for Sustainability and Efficiency, highlights the need for comprehensive reform across the entire energy value chain.
Based on insights from a February expert roundtable in Accra, the report identifies structural flaws and institutional failures beyond ECG’s operational challenges, such as revenue collection issues and electricity theft. With energy sector debt nearing $3 billion as of December 2024, the report points to deeper policy failures and a currency mismatch that hampers ECG’s viability.
Despite these challenges, ECG has made progress in meeting its financial obligations, disbursing GH¢1.07 billion in May 2025. The report criticizes the overlapping mandates and bureaucratic inertia in Ghana’s energy institutions, which discourage accountability. It calls for immediate investment in key projects like the Second Gas Processing Plant and suggests reforms to enhance private-sector involvement in ECG’s operations.
The report concludes that effective reforms must address the political and economic constraints that perpetuate inefficiency, emphasizing that technical solutions alone will not suffice for lasting change.