The Member of Parliament (MP) for Obuasi West Constituency, Kwaku Kwarteng, has advised government to effectively manage its finances and support the decline of industries in the country.
According to the MP, “government cannot make dubious payments to companies like Subah Infosolutions and others while complaining at the same that it cannot raise money to support its suffering industries.”
Commenting on the recent retrenchment of some workers of AngloGold Ashanti, Mr. Kwarteng attributed the closure of the mine to erratic power supply and increase in utility tariffs and asked government to act swiftly to save the economy from collapsing.
Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show, the MP emphasized the need for government to introduce an industrial power policy that will ensure that consumers pay reasonable prices for power supply.
He suggested saying, “government must have a policy towards industrial power. In Ghana unlike elsewhere, our industries and business pay higher for electricity supply than domestic and other consumers so I think Government should look at this policy.”
The policy, he said, will also ensure power generation in the country is adequate and reliable.
The country has been experiencing energy crises for over a year now which is hurting industries and local businesses.
Although government has given the assurance it is taking measures to control the power outages and load shedding, the problem still perisists.
The MP further noted that the demand for power in the country is not matched by supply, adding that, Ghana’s power companies are failing to respond to the future demands of power consumers.
The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), according to the Legislator, is financially handicapped because it is managed by government.
In that regard, he charged government to quickly respond to the country’s declining energy sector to save the country from its economic challenges.
By: Marian Efe Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana