Former General Secretary of the Convention People’s Party (CPP), Nana Yaa Jantuah, has clarified that the erratic power outages commonly referred to as “Dumsor,” experienced during former President Mahama’s tenure, were not caused by him.
She stated that the power challenges can be traced back to 1997, which led to the establishment of the Public Utility and Regulatory Commission (PURC) to address the situation.
“He didn’t bring Dumsor. Dumsor started as far back as 1997, which is why the PURC was created. It is unfortunate to say that Mahama brought Dumsor,” she noted.
Speaking on the Orange Sunrise with Alfa Ali on Wednesday, November 27, Nana Yaa Jantuah expressed concern over claims that Mahama was responsible for Dumsor and the associated loss of life.
She cited an incident which happened a few months ago where a baby died in an incubator at the Tema Hospital due to power outages.
She also explained that the power crisis began in 1997 and escalated in 2006 when the Akosombo Dam faced significant challenges in generating enough power, compounded by a lack of sufficient thermal plants to support the energy supply.
Nana Jantuah revealed that in response to the ongoing challenges, the then Chairman of the PURC, Kwame Pianim, wrote a letter to President J.A. Kufuor, warning that a total blackout could occur in 2012 or 2013 if the energy issues were not addressed.
“The NPP at the time did not do enough to support the energy sector, and the government did not also act on the 10- page document written by Kwame Pianim, so he resigned quietly and went home,” she stated.
“As we went along, there was no audit of the electricity we were using, so by the time that His Excellency John Dramani Mahama took over, whatever Mr. Kwame Pianim predicted came through. So he inherited it, he didn’t bring dumsor,” she pointed out.
