The system will fight you, but be bold and push for real reforms – Afenyo-Markin tells Deputy Minister nominee
The Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin has told the Deputy Energy and Green Transition Minister-Designate Richard Gyan-Mensah to be bold and carry out reforms in the energy sector.
Using his personal experience, Afenyo-Mrakin told the nominee that there are people within the system who will deliberately frustrate reform efforts in key institutions.
“I tried to reform Ghana Water, and I rather became the victim. It makes me sad as a politician because we don’t support each other for real reforms,” he lamented.
He bemoaned the recurring pattern where bold reformers face resistance from vested interests, leading to stagnation and inefficiencies that persist across successive governments.
Afenyo-Markin’s comments come in the wake of discussions on the possible privatization of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), a move that has faced significant opposition from various quarters.
Drawing from his Ghana Water experience, he cautioned the Deputy Energy Minister-Designate, Gyan-Mensah to be prepared for resistance but urged him to remain steadfast.
“If you are not assertive, you will spend your time there, come back, and find the same political football being played. The system will fight you, but you must be bold and push for real reforms,” he urged.
Meanwhile, the Deputy Energy and Green Transition Minister-Designate Richard Gyan-Mensah has refuted claims that the country is facing a recurrence of prolonged power outages known as ‘dumsor.’
Speaking before Parliament’s Appointments Committee on Tuesday, February 25, 2025, Richard Gyan-Mensah admitted that there are instances of intermittent power outages in teh country but was quick to emphasise that they do not amount to ‘nationwide dumsor’.
“I want to assure my brother that ‘dumsor’ is not back. We all experienced the period of dumsor, and we know what we went through in terms of even the time when the light goes off. There were schedules and all those things.
“What we see now, I can’t deny the fact that there have been some pockets of lights going off in some areas. But that is not something that can be described as ‘dumsor,’” he stated.
He assured that the outages would subside once maintenance work on various power plants is completed and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to ensuring that ‘dumsor’ does not return.
