Power Minister-designate, Dr. Kwbena Donkor has told Parliament’s vetting committee he will rely on the expertise of energy experts from both sides of the political divide in resolving the intractable power crisis facing the country.
He said the power crisis has persisted for more than three decades and it is about time a concerted effort was made to tackle the problem.
He was answering questions from members of the vetting committee of Parliament Monday.
Reputed as very knowledgeable in, and passionate about, energy in the country, Dr. Donkor said if approved by Parliament as minister for the new Power Ministry, he would assemble energy experts from across the political divide to tackle to issue.
President John Mahama created the new Power Ministry a few weeks ago in the face of daunting challenges in the power sector and mounting criticisms of government's handling of the crises.
Persistent power rationing, occasioned by low energy production, has thrown large parts of the country into darkness.
Many citizens have been frustrated by the situation and the President’s promises to resolve the issue have not been fulfilled within the timeframe.
MPs were, therefore, keen to know what Dr. Donkor would do differently to bring a lasting solution to the power problems.
He said as Power Minister, he would pursue an aggressive policy of investment which he said has been lagging in the power sector for decades.
Transmission and distribution losses, he said, are unacceptably high and this is due to lack of investment.
He is convinced that if some of the obsolete equipment are replaced with new and efficient ones, the losses will be cut to acceptable levels.
“Electricity is a tool for production,” and the necessary investments must be made in its generation, he emphasized.
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