Ghana: Press spotlights gas supply shortages as cause of power outages, others

APA – Accra (Ghana)
The report by the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) that recent power outages in various parts of the country was due to limited gas supply to power producers is one of the trending stories in the Ghanaian press on Monday.
The Ghanaian Times reports that the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has attributed recent power outages in various parts of the country to limited gas supply to power producers.
It explained that, due to the gas supply challenges, all Asogli phase-1 units, Cenpower and Aksa power plants have shut down leading to generation shortfall.
A statement issued by the Communications Unit of ECG in Accra on July 7, said, the gas supply challenges emanate from a power failure at Atuabo Gas Processing Plant (GPP) and a West African Gas Pipeline (WAPCO) technical challenge.
“This is due to gas supply challenges emanating from a power failure at Atuabo Gas Processing Plant (GPP) and a WAPCO technical challenge.
As a result of the above, all Asogli phase-1 units, Cenpower and Aksa power plants have shut down leading to generation shortfall,” the statement added.
It therefore, apologised to all ECG customers adding that, the company was working with all stakeholders including Ghana National Gas Company to resolve the challenge.
Meanwhile, the Ghana Grid Company Ltd (GRIDCo), has announced that the supply challenges had created a gas supply gap of 650MW at peak time, a situation which would limit power production for onward distribution
“There is a deficit in thermal power generation due to limited gas supply from the Atuabo Gas Processing Plant (GPP) and the West African Gas Pipeline (WAPCo).
This has created a supply gap of 650MW at peak time which will affect consumers in some parts of the country,” it stated in a statement.
The newspaper says that the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC) has engaged the diplomatic community on how to promote bilateral investment and strengthen economic partnerships.
The 9th edition of the Economic Counsellors Dialogue event saw a gathering of key players from the various trade missions in Ghana, as well as representatives from the government agencies, such as the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MOTI) and Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration.
The day’s discussions bordered on economic, investment strategies, as well as practical measures to accelerate economic recovery. Participants also looked at how the Centre can align its aftercare services to cater for the needs of investors.
In his opening remarks, the CEO of GIPC, Mr Yofi Grant, pointed out that the current global dispensation, characterised by political instability and post-pandemic struggles, had heightened the need for collaborations on several levels.
With the current world dynamics in focus, he argued that “there is no market much more important than the African market,” considering indicators such as population and natural resources.
Mr Grant mentioned that the government was undertaking several structural reforms to restore investor confidence in Ghana’s economy in order to reposition it as the ideal investment destination.
This, he said, included public financial management reforms, state-owned enterprises reforms, financial sector reforms, tax policy and administration reforms, and social protection reforms.
He also disclosed that the document to review the GIPC Act 2013, after extensive consultations, would be tabled before cabinet soon.
According to him, the changes proposed were in tandem with global investment laws, and are aimed to attract, and retain investments.
The Graphic reports that the President of Zambia, Hakainde Hichilema, has urged African states to deploy trade and other partnerships as benchmarks for collaboration to move the continent forward.
He said such collaboration must be on top of the agenda of the African Union and sub-regional blocs, including the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
“Africans must work together to promote development of the continent, and this must be on top of the agenda of the African Union and ECOWAS, and should be driven by business,” he stressed.
President Hichilema made the remarks when he paid a working visit to the Accra Compost and Recycling Plant (ACARP) last Saturday as part of his official visit to Ghana.
He becomes the first African President, aside from Ghanaian presidents, to visit the facility.
The visit was to afford him first-hand knowledge of how ACARP, a subsidiary of the Jospong Group of Companies, was managing Ghana’s waste, and how the mechanism could be replicated in Zambia.
The group is currently operating in three cities in Zambia.
President Hichilema commended the Jospong Group for creating jobs and employing, particularly Ghanaians.
The newspaper says that the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) hit an active membership of 17.2 million by the end of 2022, representing approximately 55 per cent of the population.
The figure is the highest membership of the scheme at any particular period.
At a news conference in Accra last Friday, the Chief Executive of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), Dr Bernard Okoe-Boye, said despite the high subscription, the NHIA had paid more than GH¢471 million to its 4,500 credentialed healthcare providers across the country.
The amount, which was paid within 45 days from May 24 to July 7, 2023, covered claims submitted to the authority for periods up to January 2023.
The payments, Dr Okoe-Boye said, had brought the NHIS back to the 90-day arrears window for the first time in many years, as service providers previously were sometimes owed for as long as up to 12 months.
The certified health facilities comprise public, private, quasi and faith-based health facilities, Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) compounds, health centres, pharmacies, diagnostic centres and some primary, secondary and tertiary hospitals.
At the event, Dr Okoe-Boye clicked a button to signify the payment of the last tranche of GH¢105 million to service providers through a computerised payment system.
Currently, he said: “Only two months (February and March) were in arrears. I am happy to announce that these two months defective arrears is one of the lowest we have had since the inception of the scheme. We want the public to know so that the excuse made by hospitals and service providers that we have not been paid will not hold anymore”.
GIK/APA