The Managing Director of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), Jude Osarfo Adu-Amankwah has disclosed that the current power crisis being experienced in the country was having very serious negative effects on the country’s energy infrastructure.

The current situation could reduce the life span of the machines, “Some equipment which is designed to be switched on once a year is now being switched on over 20 and more times in a year and that is putting a lot of stress on the machines,” Mr Adu-Amankwah said in an interview after the opening ceremony of a Union of Producers, Transporters and Distributors of Electric Power in Africa (UPDEA) human resource colloquium in Accra.

He said the consequence of the ‘on-and off’ of the machines would be apparent when the current energy crisis is resolved, “already traces of this have begun to show as there are always equipment failures, wear and tear and corresponding to that we have started repairing and replacing equipment.” The ECG managing Director stated that the energy industry already faces financial constraints, “fortunately for us government has made available ¢300 billion under the 2007 budget and another $65 million under the supplementary budget.”

He stated that Ghana is currently receiving over 60 megawatt from Cote d’Ivoire.

The UDEA human resources colloquium, titled “good corporate governance in utility companies: the strategic role of human resource management’ is being hosted by the Electricity Company of Ghana with over 30 utility organizations out of 52 participating.

The Colloquium will serve as a platform for sharing and exchanging ideas to find best practice in human resource management, thereby expanding the frontiers of the various power companies.

Earlier, in a welcome address, Mr. Adu-Amankwah said the rapid technological and sociological changes in the world calls for utility companies to develop a more focused and coherent approach to managing people, “Effective human resource management is at the core of our business,” he said. He acknowledged that Africa was experiencing an energy deficit largely due to the high demand for energy and explained that the situation in Ghana is a generation shortfall that can be described as critical.

Hon Joseph Adda, Minister of Energy in a key note address said that many utility companies have failed because they did not adopt effective human resources management which includes practice of good governance, ethics and democratic values.

He said government was putting a substantial investment in the energy sector therefore requiring an effective human resources base to manage the sector. He said that properly managed internal corporate relationships are likely to strengthen external corporate relationships and, added that, currently Ghana trades power with Togo, Benin and Cote d’Ivoire which is of mutual benefit to all the countries