The Minority in Parliament has urged President John Dramani Mahama to take swift action in addressing the ongoing power outages, commonly referred to as "dumsor," which they say is crippling businesses and livelihoods.

Nhyiaeso MP, Stephen Amoah, made this call during a press briefing following President Mahama’s first State of the Nation Address since assuming office on January 7, 2025. According to him, the government has failed to maintain the stable power supply inherited from the previous administration.

Citing former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s final address before leaving office, Mr. Amoah argued that the former administration had resolved Ghana’s power crisis.

“In his last Statement of the Nation Address, the former President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo stated and rightly so, ‘it is worth emphasizing that I inherited a nation plagued by dumsor, but I am very happy to say that I leave office in 2025 with the lights on.’ Sadly, after 7th January 2025, the Government of President Mahama has failed to keep the lights on,” he stated.

He also questioned the government’s explanation that the outages are due to maintenance work on the West African Gas Pipeline, insisting that similar situations did not cause disruptions under the previous government.

“Several excuses have been given for the current excruciating dumsor – the latest being the current maintenance programme of the West Africa Gas Pipeline. We do not know whether, under the NPP government, the Gas Pipeline was going through similar maintenance. If so, why were the lights on, but cannot be on today because of the maintenance of the Pipeline?” he queried.

Expressing concern over the economic impact, Mr. Amoah stressed that small businesses, including dressmakers, ice water sellers, and hair salons, are bearing the brunt of the crisis.

He, therefore, called on the President to provide a clear and honest explanation while taking immediate steps to restore a stable power supply.

“President Mahama needs to come clear on the real reasons for the current dumsor, which has created uncomfortable situations for businesses,” he asserted.