John Abdulai Jinapor, the Minister of Energy and Green Transition, has cautioned engineers and managers of the Electricity Company of Ghana against politicising their duties, warning that negligence and sabotage within the power sector will not be tolerated.
Addressing four regional managers, 21 district managers, and engineers of ECG in the Ashanti Region, Dr Jinapor stressed that workers in the energy sector must remain professional and committed to serving the country rather than political interests.
“Your job is that of an engineer and not a politician. You cannot be a politician. That’s why I say if you want to be a politician, you exit,” he stated.
According to the Minister, deliberate negligence by some engineers has contributed to ECG’s inability to consistently provide quality, safe, and stable electricity supply, damaging the image of the energy sector.
He said it was his responsibility as sector minister to enforce discipline, dedication, and commitment among staff to ensure reliable power supply nationwide.
Dr Jinapor noted that apart from attracting public criticism during power outages, ECG also suffers significant revenue losses when electricity paid for by the state remains unused due to operational failures.
He therefore urged district managers and officials to improve their performance, describing them as the public face of the company.
“You are the face of the ECG. If the managers don’t work well, it tarnishes the image of the company,” he said.
The Minister further disclosed that the Energy Ministry, together with the Energy Commission, is establishing a command and control centre aimed at improving service delivery through modern technology.
According to him, the system will monitor response times, track transformers, and improve communication between citizens and ECG officials.
As part of the initiative, district managers will receive new mobile phones linked to the system to ensure prompt reporting and response to faults and customer complaints.
“The main issue is the time of response. The centre is not just for updates, it’s also to track transformers as well,” he explained.
Dr Jinapor also announced plans to introduce a dedicated short code and contact number for citizens to directly report electricity-related problems.
In addition, he revealed that electronic motorcycles and pickup trucks would be distributed to ECG district offices to improve mobility and operational efficiency.
According to the Minister, government is intentionally equipping ECG with the necessary tools to improve electricity service delivery across the country.
He warned that managers and engineers would be held accountable for failures in providing stable and reliable power supply.
The Minister further disclosed that several projects are underway to boost power generation capacity in the Ashanti Region as electricity demand continues to increase.
“Very soon we’re going to have over 1000 MW situated here in Kumasi, a strategic location,” he stated.
Dr Jinapor therefore urged ECG workers to remain committed to the sector and avoid any actions that could undermine the country’s power supply system.
Source: Wesleyannews.com
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