Ghana's energy crisis started with the overthrow of Nkrumah, not under Kufuor - Kwesi Pratt Jnr

 Kwesi Pratt Jnr, the Managing Editor of the Insight Newspaper, has shed light on the historical roots of Ghana's energy crisis, tracing it back to events following the overthrow of Kwame Nkrumah's government.

 Kwesi Pratt emphasized that the crisis did not begin during the tenure of President John Agyekum Kufuor, as commonly believed, but rather had its origins in decisions made post-Nkrumah era.

 Pratt highlighted the significant impact of a British energy expert's counsel, which led to the abandonment of crucial energy projects initiated under Nkrumah's administration.

 He noted that measures such as the Bui Dam and mini hydro projects were halted following the expert's advice, despite the presence of Soviet experts working on the Bui Dam project at the time.

 Speaking on Good Morning Ghana on April 24, 2024, he said, "The issue of the history of the energy crisis has come up now, and I think it is important we get the history right. After the 1966 coup against Nkrumah, the government then brought in a British expert, who insisted we didn't need to expand capacity."

 Based on this, Kwesi Pratt Jnr lamented how Ghana missed opportunities resulting from the abandonment of these projects.

 "So, we stopped the Bui Dam project... The Bui Dam was delayed all this time because of the British expert," he added.

 He further explained that Nkrumah's regime had proposed mini hydro projects across the country, which were also discontinued.

 Additionally, plans for nuclear power generation, including agreements with the Soviet Union, were scrapped on the expert's advice.

"At the time, we were considering a nuclear option for power generation and went into an agreement with the Soviet Union that the so-called British energy expert also stopped. That is where our problem began.

"The problems in our energy sector—some think it began in the Kufuor administration; it's not true. The crisis was already there before it came. It only hit us in the Kufuor regime," he added.

 Kwesi Pratt Jnr commended the foresight of past administrations, including the Acheampong government, which had undertaken several power-generation initiatives prior to John Kufuor's presidency.

 "In fact, we were very lucky to have had a government with foresight like the Acheampong government, which did several generation plants before the Kufuor government. The problem started with the overthrow of Kwame Nkrumah," he stated.

 NAY/AE

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