NDC left $2.4bn energy debt, NPP worsened it – Edward Bawa

Former Bongo MP Edward Abambire Bawa has criticized the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government for exacerbating Ghana’s energy sector debt, which stood at $2.4 billion when the National Democratic Congress (NDC) left office in 2017.

Speaking on *The Big Issue* on January 11, 2025, he noted that the debt has since ballooned due to the NPP's failure to meet obligations to Independent Power Producers (IPPs).

The mounting debt has strained IPPs, which supply the majority of Ghana’s electricity, leading to frequent power outages and worsening fiscal challenges.

Bawa acknowledged the NDC’s past debt, attributing it to the need for mechanisms like the Energy Sector Levy Act (ESLA), but criticized the NPP for mismanaging the inherited debt and allowing the crisis to deepen, impacting power reliability nationwide.