The Parliament in Ghana experienced a disruption in its proceedings on Thursday as the state-run Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) implemented power cuts due to an outstanding debt of 23 million Ghanaian cedi ($1.8 million; £1.4 million).
The interruption occurred during a debate on the president’s State of the Nation speech, with Members of Parliament (MPs) seen in a dimly lit chamber chanting “Dumsor, dumsor,” referring to a power outage in the local Akan language.
Local media shared a video capturing the scene, revealing that a backup power generator restored electricity to the chamber shortly afterward. However, other sections of the parliament building remained without power for a significant part of the day before normal supplies were reinstated.
Reports from Ghana’s TV3 channel highlighted that MPs and parliamentary staff using elevators were stranded when the sudden blackout occurred.
William Boateng, the communications director of the power company, informed Reuters that the decision to disconnect power was a result of parliament’s failure to comply with demand notices for payment.
Power was eventually restored later in the day after parliament paid 13 million cedi and committed to settling the remaining debt within a week, according to Boateng.
However, Parliamentary finance official Ebenezer Ahumah Djietror contested the amount claimed by the power company, stating that the company’s system did not accurately record recent payments made by parliament. Djietror insisted that the outstanding power bill was around $950,000, not the quoted amount.
Ghana’s electricity company is grappling with severe financial difficulties, leading to frequent disconnections for clients with outstanding debts. Boateng emphasized that disconnections were applied universally to those who failed to pay or make suitable arrangements.
The country has been facing worsening power shortages in recent years, exacerbated by its most significant economic crisis in a decade. Private electricity suppliers are owed $1.6 billion by the state power company, as reported by Elikplim Kwabla Apetogbor, the head of the organization representing them. Opposition MPs have called on the government to invest in the power sector to prevent its collapse, attributing the current challenges to insufficient funds for fuel purchases for the country’s thermal generation plants.
