2025 Budget Reflects Hope to Address Energy Sector Challenges – Hon. Millicent Amankwah
The Member of Parliament for Sunyani West, Hon. Millicent Yeboah Amankwah, has expressed strong optimism that the 2025 national budget will play a pivotal role in resolving Ghana’s persistent energy sector challenges.
She said allocations to the sector, particularly under the “Big Push” agenda, mark a significant step toward revitalizing the economy.
Speaking on the floor of Parliament during the debate on the 2025 budget on Thursday, March 20, Hon. Amankwah emphasized that stabilizing the energy sector is essential for overall economic recovery.
“Once we are able to fix the energy problem, everything else in the economy will begin to improve. Businesses will thrive, jobs will be created, and growth will resume,” she noted.
The 2025 budget, presented by Finance Minister Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson on March 11, is designed to reset the economy and restore investor confidence.
Hon. Amankwah also lauded the budget’s targeted support for women and youth, highlighting it as a first in the Fourth Republic.
“This budget reflects hope. It represents the future we’ve all been waiting for,” she stated.
Turning her attention to the energy sector, which she described as the “lifeblood of the economy,” the MP cited paragraph 95 of the budget, which states that the Ministry of Finance provided US$1.5 billion (approximately GH₵20.8 billion) in support to the sector in 2024.
Despite this investment, she expressed concern about the sector’s financial health. Data from the Energy Sector Recovery Programme, she noted, shows that the sector’s financial shortfall has soared to GH₵35 billion in 2025.
“This figure should raise serious concerns. Without a stable and well-funded energy sector, our economy cannot function,” she cautioned.
Hon. Amankwah also revealed that Ghana owes Independent Power Producers (IPPs) around US$1.73 billion—more than the government’s entire energy support package for 2024. Additionally, she said the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) is saddled with a GH₵68 billion debt, while debts owed to the Kpong and Akosombo dams stand at GH₵32 billion.
“These debts have dire implications for electricity generation and supply across all sectors of the economy,” she warned, adding that the cost of power production remains prohibitively high, particularly with thermal energy sources.
She expressed confidence in the leadership of former President John Dramani Mahama, under whose stewardship the “Big Push” agenda is expected to be implemented.
Hon. Amankwah concluded by invoking the legacy of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, who initiated the construction of the Akosombo Dam with a capacity of 900 megawatts.
“This is the kind of foresight we need today to secure our energy future,” she added.
Source; Felix Nyaaba//expressnewsghana.com
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