By Ashiadey Dotse
The Ranking Member of Parliament’s Select Committee on Energy, George Kwame Aboagye, has cautioned against rushing to blame the suspended Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDCo), Mark Awuah Baah, following the recent power disruption caused by a fire outbreak at the Akosombo substation.
Speaking in an interview on GTV’s Breakfast Show on Thursday, April 30, 2026, Mr Aboagye said no individual should be held responsible until a thorough investigation is completed.
He stressed that the country must first establish the facts surrounding the April 23 incident before apportioning blame, noting that early reports suggest the power challenges may have begun months before the fire.
“If there is ‘dumsor’, it did not begin with the fire. Reports I have seen point to issues from January and February,” he said.
Mr Aboagye explained that GRIDCo’s core mandate is to transmit power from Independent Power Producers to the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), and therefore any challenges within the power supply chain must be carefully examined.
He revealed that preliminary checks by the committee uncovered gaps in emergency preparedness, including a shortage of fire tenders at key installations.
“Fire is something that can happen at any time, so we must be prepared. Unfortunately, we are lacking in that area,” he noted.
While acknowledging the government’s decision to suspend the CEO to allow for investigations, Mr Aboagye maintained that this should not be interpreted as an admission of guilt.
“We want to know exactly what happened, but we should not condemn anyone now. Let the investigation be thorough and transparent,” he added.
He further called for credible findings, warning against superficial investigations that fail to provide clear answers to the public.
The fire at the Akosombo substation caused widespread power outages across the country, reigniting concerns over the stability of Ghana’s electricity supply.
