“There is no Dumsor in Kumasi, we had a Technical Problem” – ECG

The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has attributed the recent power outages in Kumasi to technical challenges, dismissing claims of a return to the era of “dumsor.” Benjamin Obeng Antwi, Public Relations Officer for ECG-Ashanti West, explained that the outages were due to maintenance works aimed at improving power supply in the region.

Speaking on Nhyira FM’s “Kuro Yi Mu Nsem” show, Antwi said, “There is no ‘dumsor’, we had an underground cable fault. When that happens, we have to dig the ground and bring out all the cables so we can test them. We cannot work on the cables without turning off the electricity, that is why Kumasi has been experiencing some outages.”

Antwi also highlighted ongoing renovation works on old power structures, which have contributed to the outages. “We have 5 bulk supply points where GRIDCO and ECG meet to receive the electricity. They are very old constructions… Now we have decided not to put the cables underground anymore and to increase the sizes of the wires from 240 and 400 to 630 so that we can have a more stable power.”

The ECG PRO apologized to consumers in Kumasi for the inconvenience caused by the power outages. “I want to apologize to Ashanti Region on behalf of Electricity Company of Ghana. We acknowledge that the lights have not been stable since the beginning of the year. It is not intentional to bring back ‘Dumsor’. We had a technical problem.”

Antwi also cautioned the public to report suspected power thefts to the police. “We have changed a lot of fuse at Adum for a couple of weeks now. People keep breaking the locks stealing the fuse… When you see anyone around an ECG pole, please go and ask them if they work at ECG.”