The Minister for Energy and Green Transition, John Jinapor, has issued a stern warning to administrative officers within the energy sector, stating that underperformance or attempts to sabotage operations will not be tolerated.
Speaking at a briefing with members of the Energy Committee of Parliament and Cabinet on Thursday, May 15, Mr. Jinapor emphasized that any official found to be negligent or obstructive will be dismissed from their post, regardless of their rank.
“I’m serious about this. If we find out that any administrative officer—be it Director, General Manager, Area Manager—is not working in line with the laid-down procedures, or is either lazying around or sabotaging the system, you will be sacked,” he cautioned.
He added, “If I don’t sack you, I’ll be sacked. So I want to appeal to the Chairman and the Committee members, so we can all work together.”
The Minister also shed light on the financial strain facing the energy sector, revealing that the government inherited more than GH¢3 billion in outstanding payments owed to power generation companies.
He explained that this is part of a much larger sector-wide debt, which previously stood at around GH¢80 billion.
However, he noted that the recent appreciation of the Ghana cedi has contributed to a slight reduction in the overall debt burden, most of which is denominated in foreign currencies such as the US dollar.
Mr. Jinapor’s remarks underscore the government’s commitment to improving operational efficiency and financial sustainability within the energy sector, amid growing concerns over reliability and debt accumulation.
