Prez. Mahama blames dumsor on increasing mobile phone usage

• Posted on February 20, 2015February 20, 2015
• by Nana Kwesi Coomson
• Comment

President John Dramani Mahama has blamed the current energy crisis in the country on the increasing mobile phone usage in Ghana.

The President, addressing a Ghanaian community in Gambia where he is on a state visit, said the number of mobile phones in the country supersedes the total population in Ghana, hence taking a huge toll on the meager megawatts of power in the country.

“Ghana’s population is 25 million, but statistics indicates that mobile phone lines in Ghana is over 27 million and these phones are charged every night, and this is one of the causes of the load-shedding…,” he said.

The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) is currently shedding over 440 megawatts during off-peak periods and 650 megawatts during peak periods.

The power crisis is as a result of low water levels in the Akosombo dam and unavailability of gas to power some other thermal plants.

The NPP on Wednesday hit the streets of Accra to register their displeasure over the worsening power crisis, corruption and poor economic management by the Mahama-led administration.

The 2016 flagbearer, Nana Addo Dankwah Akufo-Addo led more than half a million Ghanaians to demonstrate on the streets of Accra against the government over the current energy crisis.

The demonstration, which was attended by thousands of Ghanaians and NPP sympathisers has been described as one of the biggest ever held in the country.

The party has also signaled its preparedness to embark on a similar demonstration in the Ashanti Regional capital, Kumasi, next week.