Mahama’s Pledge to Organised Labour on ECG’s Future
During the May Day celebrations in Accra on May 1, 2025, President John Mahama addressed growing concerns about the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), firmly stating it will not be privatised. The assurance came as the ECG grapples with a staggering GH¢68 billion debt, a crisis Mahama attributed to eight years of poor governance that threatens the collapse of Ghana’s power sector.
Mahama proposed a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) to revive ECG’s operations, emphasizing that this approach would inject efficiency into the distribution system without relinquishing public ownership. He referenced a successful model from his previous administration, where a private company managed metering and billing, achieving a 99% revenue collection rate while ECG retained control of power supply.
However, Organised Labour remains unconvinced. Leaders from the Public Utilities Workers’ Union (PUWU) and the Public Services Workers’ Union (PSWU) expressed skepticism, with PUWU’s General Secretary, Timothy Nyame, arguing that a PPP is merely privatisation in disguise. The unions fear this could lead to exploitation by political cronies, further burdening ordinary Ghanaians.
PSWU’s Bernard Adjei called for greater involvement in the PPP process, stressing that workers have the expertise to manage ECG effectively. Both unions vowed to resist any move that undermines public ownership, urging Mahama to engage stakeholders to ensure transparency and protect the energy sector’s integrity.