The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Consumer Protection Agency, Kofi Kapito, has come to the defense of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) regarding its failure to release a load-shedding timetable during the ongoing power outages in the country.

Mr. Kapito attributed ECG's inability to provide a load-shedding timetable to financial constraints, stating that the current energy crisis is exacerbated by financial issues rather than solely generation capacity limitations.

In an interview with Citi FM on Tuesday, April 23, Kapito emphasized that addressing the financial challenge would eliminate the necessity for a load-shedding timetable.

He urged patience from Ghanaians and others demanding such a timetable while efforts are made to resolve the financial challenges.

The CEO of the Consumer Protection Agency reiterated that once the financial issues are addressed, the need for a load-shedding timetable would cease to exist.

He called for cooperation and patience from all stakeholders in stabilizing the energy situation in the country.

Mr Kapito highlighted the complexity of the situation, emphasizing that ECG's ability to provide a timetable is contingent upon the availability of funds for paying Independent Power Producers (IPPs) or purchasing fuel for power plants.

“As we all know it is not like before when we used to build some transformers which we knew is going to take us some months and so we have to do some proper plan and then bring out a timetable."

“Unfortunately, because it is financial, it is difficult for ECG to say that they will bring a timetable simply because people are calling for it. If they bring the timetable and money becomes available, thus, they are able to pay the IPPs or they have to buy the necessary fuel for power plants, then what happens to the timetable? That I think is the challenge the ECG is facing.”

“ECG is in the business to sell you power. When ECG gets the electricity, they have no need apart from selling it to the consumer or anybody who needs it. So, when people sometimes behave as if ECG has the power and they are doing something or intentionally not distributing it, I find it a little difficult,” he said.

He stressed that ECG's primary function is to sell power, and any perception that the company is intentionally withholding electricity is misguided.

Meanwhile, Senior Presidential Advisor Yaw Osafo-Maafo clarified that only the Energy Minister, Dr. Matthew Opoku-Prempeh, has the authority to authorize the publication of a load-shedding timetable.

Osafo-Maafo explained that this decision depends on the volume of power being generated and what ECG can distribute.