2024 SONA: Kumasi residents challenge Akufo-Addo’s assertion of resolving ‘dumsor’

Some Kumasi residents in the Ashanti region have contested President Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s assertion that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government successfully addressed the intermittent power supply challenge, locally known as ‘dumsor.’ Disputing the President’s claim made during the State of the Nation Address (SONA), these residents argue that they continue to experience power outages, with some citing instances of ‘dumsor’ occurring just the night before the President’s speech.

President Akufo-Addo had highlighted in his address that his government had effectively resolved the power supply issue over the past seven years. However, residents interviewed by Akoma FM’s Enock Baffoe expressed disagreement, with one resident stating, “If Nana says that, then he hasn’t been fair with us. Just a day before yesterday, ‘dumsor’ started. Yesterday I slept without light in my house, so it is never true that the NPP government has managed power stability for seven years.”

Another resident, emphasizing the instability of power, stated, “For that, I won’t even let you finish because I don’t see the power as stable. It is not true. That’s why I told you earlier, I am a pastor, and I won’t come and lie here; the power is not stable; it has been on and off.”

Meanwhile, residents of the Suame constituency also expressed disappointment over the perceived abandonment of the interchange project since the sod-cutting ceremony in 2022. They expected the President to address the issue during the SONA but were disappointed when it was not mentioned.

The four-tier interchange in Suame was intended to enhance urban mobility in the city and the Ashanti region. However, delays in the project have raised concerns among residents, with some expressing mistrust in the NPP’s commitment to regional development. Despite calls by the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the NPP for funds to commence the project, there has been no progress, leaving residents dissatisfied with the lack of development in the region.