Otumfuo made a good call to privatise ECG, VRA, GRIDCo; let’s isolate politics from power sector – Ben Boakye

Executive Director of the Africa Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP), Ben Boakye has said the call by the Asantehene to privatise the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), Volta River Authority (VRA), and the Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDCo) is a good call.

However, he said, there is more to it than just making these institutions controlled by the private sector.

He called for the isolation of politics from the power sector.

“It is a good call but it is way more than that, we have to ensure that how we did with PDS does not happen.

“Let us isolate politics from it, bring in the private sector so that the state can control them,” he said on the Key Points on TV3 on Saturday, April 20.

The Asantehene, while justifying his call said that privatizing these institutions will make these institutions function as expected of them.

Speaking during the commissioning of a 430-kilometre natural gas pipeline by Genser Energy, in Kumasi on Wednesday, April 17, he said “It’s about time that the government realizes that it’s not going to work for the government to be involved in setting up companies without involving the private sector, it doesn’t work.

“The government should concentrate on policies and involve the private sector and you can attract more investors into the country which will create more employment.

“VRA and others are all government establishments, let’s give it out and diversify them into the private sector and get more money there and get the right people to do it. GRIDCo and others let’s give them the money and get the qualified people, diverse government from it and let them work.

“Electricity Company is in a situation where we don’t know, but that also must be diversified and given to the private sector.

“Why are we still holding on when we don’t have the money? We’re not able to collect all the taxes we want, we’re going to IMF and all those for money. We’re hanging onto industries we cannot maintain and run.”

He added “It’s about time we face reality and decide on what government should be doing and what the private sector should be doing. This is a testimony of the private sector, and they were able to attract investors.”