Shamima Muslim confident government will fix Accra street lighting

Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Shamima Muslim has reaffirmed the government's commitment to improving street lighting in the capital city.

On Joy News’ AM Show on Monday, May 12, Ms. Muslim discussed the issue. She acknowledged its seriousness and outlined steps being taken to address it.

She referenced comments from the Greater Accra Regional Minister during her vetting. The minister emphasized urgency in fixing broken streetlights.

“When she took office, she committed to fixing them within 50 days,” Ms. Muslim said.

“It’s true that Accra is largely dark. We must confront this reality.” She also mentioned the Ministry of Energy's role in addressing inefficiencies in the power sector.

However, she noted significant financial challenges due to legacy debts. “Our power sector has the second-highest debt burden after COCOBOD,” she explained.

“There are deep inefficiencies caused by years of corruption. We are sitting on debilitating debt,” she added.

Ms. Muslim expressed concern over missing containers belonging to the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG). She questioned how important infrastructure could disappear without explanation.

“We’re still waiting for answers on the missing ECG containers,” she said. “What about the poles meant for our streets? They’ve been found abandoned.”

She acknowledged that solving these issues is complex and cannot happen overnight.

“These problems cannot be fixed in four months,” she stated.

“We need a long-term approach instead of quick fixes.”

She emphasized understanding root causes and identifying leakages first.

“As a new government, we aim to break from past practices,” she said.

When asked if the government was committed to illuminating Accra's streets, Ms. Muslim replied confidently.

“Absolutely! We’ve set a 120-day timeline to deliver results,” she concluded.