’DUMSOR’ OR DISCO LIGHTS IN GHANA?

’DUMSOR’ OR DISCO LIGHTS IN GHANA?

‘Dumsor’ which is a Ghanaian coinage literally means ‘off and on’ of power (electricity) supply. It implies erratic power  supply. The term 'dumsor' describes a precariousness power situation that depicts frequent power outages in Ghana. English Dictionary defines disco lights as ‘coloured lights that flash on and off in time [to] the music at a disco etc’. The use of the term ‘dumsor disco lights’  in the context of this piece means unreliable and unstable supply of electricity. 

Although about 85% of Ghana's urban population has access to electricity, one of the major problems facing the country’s energy sector today is unreliable power supply. Ghana has suffered five (5) major power crises which occurred in 1984, 1994, 1998, 2007, and 2012-2016. His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the President of Ghana, delivered his penultimate State of the Nation Address (SONA) at the Parliament House of Ghana on Tuesday 27th February, 2024. While touting the achievements of his government in the energy sector, the president indicated that the NPP Government has been able to keep the power on in the last seven (7) years. What His Excellency did not know was that even while he was making this statement,  the lights went out in some parts of Greater Kumasi for a considerable period of time.  The recurrent power outages in Ghana in recent times, in the midst of rising temperatures in the country, are becoming both intolerable and unbearable.

There is no benefit in playing politics with power supply since the price to pay for doing that is too expensive to especially the ordinary Ghanaian and businesses. Reliable power supply is inevitable for the sustainable development and growth of any nation. Several literature on energy affirm that energy is the ‘lifeblood’ of any society. This implies that energy is a crucial part of human life because it is needed to meet the basic needs of society.

The lingering question on the minds of many Ghanaians or residents in Ghana today is whether the country is currently experiencing ‘dumsor’ or ‘disco lights’ or both? It is high time we stoped playing politics with energy or power supply in the country. The Government of Ghana, Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), Public Utility Regulation Commission (PURC) and the Energy Commission (EC) need to give honest feedback about the power situation in the country. They should also address Ghanaians about the true state of Ghana's energy sector. They need to also put out realistic measures to fix challenges bedevilling the country’s energy sector.

Richard Obeng Mensah, author  of If You Think of Your Opposition You Lose Your Position. The writer is an award-winning prolific author of 8 books and over 250 articles on legal and non-legal themes.  He is a fellow of the Brew-Hammond Energy Centre, KNUST, Kumasi. The writer is a pastor, lawyer, law lecturer, certified life and leadership coach, and a blogger. 

Email: richardobengmensah@gmail.com

Mobile: +233 (0)246 556 774.

Link to other articles of the author on blogspot: https://richard-obeng-mensah.blogspot.com/?m=1

Publication History

Authored on  29/02/2024 and published on 01/03/2024 on the author’s blog and other social media platforms. Revised on 14-16/03/2024 and republished on 16/03/2024.

Acknowledgement

The author appreciates the critiques and valuable comments of his Editorial Team to this write-up.

References

1. Richard  Obeng Mensah, ‘The “Dumsor” Christian’ Gracefields Chapel 2018] >https://gracefields.org/the-dumsor-christian/< Accessed 29 February 2024.

2. Collins Dictionaries, ‘disco lights’ [Collins 2024] >https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/disco-lights#:~:text=disco%20lights%20in%20British%20English,music%20at%20a%20disco%20etc< Accessed 29 February 2023.

3. Raymond A Atuguba e’tal, ‘Ghana’s Renewable Energy Agenda: Legislative Drafting in Search of Policy Paralysis’ (2020) 64 Energy Research & Social Science 5.

4.   Christian Emmanuel Bruce and Kimberly Thomas, ‘On Again, Off Again: Ghana’s Struggles with Electricity Unreliability, Equity and Sustainability’ [Undisciplined Environments, 9 January 2024] > https://undisciplinedenvironments.org/2024/01/09/on-again-off-again-ghanas-struggles-with-electricity-unreliability-equality-and-sustainability/< Accessed 14 March 2024.