Ghana's Economy will Bounce Back, Stronger after we Clean Your "Deep Mess" Left-Majority Leader Tells Minority

The Majority Leader, Mahama Ayariga, has intensified his critique of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), asserting that the flagship “24-Hour Economy” vision of the Mahama administration can only be fully implemented after the government addresses what he termed the “deep, destructive and expensive mess” inherited in the energy sector.

Speaking during the conclusion of the 2026 Budget debate on Thursday, Hon. Ayariga accused the NPP, under former President Nana Akufo-Addo and Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, of leaving behind a “chaotic energy architecture.”

He cited “criminal negligence, inflated contracts, unpaid bills, and deliberate policy sabotage” as factors that crippled Ghana’s ability to sustain a consistent, around-the-clock production cycle.

PDS Collapse and Financial Losses

Ayariga highlighted the collapse of the Millennium Challenge Account Energy Compact II as a major failure, arguing that Ghana’s loss of $190 million under the botched PDS concession remains “one of the worst governance blunders in the Fourth Republic.”

He alleged the PDS arrangement, which reportedly hinged on forged payment guarantees, plunged the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) into further instability and halted necessary reforms.

The Majority Leader also referenced findings from the ECG Container Holdup Investigations Report, which he claimed uncovered GH¢909 million in negligence-related losses and GH¢159 million paid in “questionable clearing contracts,” with millions more locked up in abandoned equipment.

He charged that the NPP’s “institutional capture and procurement recklessness nearly collapsed ECG and crippled Ghana’s productive base.”

Turnaround Strategy and Progress

In contrast, Ayariga emphasized that the new government’s turnaround strategy is already restoring confidence in the energy sector. This strategy includes aggressive revenue recovery, reduction of administrative waste, renegotiation of loss-making power purchase agreements, and improved liquidity.

According to him, revenue mobilisation at ECG has now reached historic record levels, and the government has cleared over $300 million in arrears owed to Independent Power Producers (IPPs). He added that the construction of a second gas processing plant is projected to save Ghana more than $450 million annually in fuel costs and significantly boost power reliability for key industries.

“24-Hour Economy is Not Political Noise”

Ayariga firmly defended President Mahama’s “24-hour economy,” insisting it is an economic transformation blueprint anchored on energy reliability, job creation, and industrial competitiveness, rather than “a political chorus” as alleged by the opposition.

“The 24-hour economy is a serious national policy, not political noise,” Ayariga insisted. “We will run it — and run it well — but first, we must clean the mess you left behind. You cannot break the system and then ask us to switch it on overnight.”

He concluded by maintaining that the government is actively rebuilding the energy sector to ensure the “24-hour economy” is “sustainable, scalable and beneficial to workers, businesses and foreign investors.”

Source: Felix Nyaaba/expressnewsghana.com