The Minister for Energy and Green Transition, John Jinapor, has directed the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDCo), Ing. Mark Awuah Baah, to step aside pending investigations into the recent fire outbreak at the Akosombo Power Control Centre.
The directive follows a devastating incident on Thursday, April 23, which gutted parts of the Akosombo substation switchyard and disrupted electricity transmission across sections of the country.
Announcing the decision in a Facebook post on Sunday, April 26, the Minister for Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, said “Minister for Energy and Green Transition has asked the CEO of GRIDCo to step aside pending investigations into fire incident at Akosombo power control center.
Also, there has been a major shake up in the leadership of the ECG in the Ashanti Region.
At 2pm tomorrow, Minister for Energy and Green Transition, Hon John Jinapor, will hold a major briefing on recent developments in electricity distribution.”
The fire, which occurred at about 2:01 p.m., triggered emergency shutdowns, forcing engineers to isolate parts of the national grid. GRIDCo estimates that between 720 and 1,000 megawatts of transmission capacity linked to the Akosombo Dam was lost, significantly impacting power supply.
The incident has contributed to recent blackouts and intermittent outages reported in several parts of the country.
While authorities had earlier attributed the disruptions to ongoing system upgrades, the fire has intensified concerns about the stability of Ghana’s power infrastructure.
In response, the Ministry of Energy and Green Transition indicated that full restoration of power generation could take up to five days, as engineers work to stabilise affected systems.
The shake-up extends beyond GRIDCo, with significant leadership changes announced within the Electricity Company of Ghana in the Ashanti Region, amid growing speculation about possible sabotage.
Mark Awuah Baah, who has served as acting CEO of GRIDCo since February 2025, brings over 28 years of experience in the power sector, including system dispatch, planning and corporate strategy.
Mr. Jinapor is expected to address the nation at a press briefing scheduled for 2:00 p.m. on Monday, April 27, where he will provide further details on the incident, ongoing investigations, and the broader developments within the electricity distribution sector.
