There was jubilation and a sigh of relief among the public when President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in April 2020 announced that his government was going to absorb 3 months of water and electricity bills for all citizens.

President Akufo-Addo explained that the move was to facilitate handwashing among the public as well as lessen the economic hardships created by the Coronavirus pandemic.

The free water and electricity was welcomed by Ghanaians with neighbouring countries commending the country's leadership for good work done.

However, the Information Minister, Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah, in 2021, almost a year after revealed that citizens will have to pay for the free water and electricity provided by government.

Read the full story originally published on April 15, 2020, on Ghanaweb

The Ghana Energy Awards (GEA) on Tuesday commended government for its intervention in both the electricity and water sectors in the wake of the COVID-19 to ease the hardships on Ghanaians.

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, in his last address to the nation, said government had absorbed full electricity bills for all lifeline consumers and 50 per cent for both residential and commercial consumers for the months of April, May and June.

The Government has also absorbed the water bills for all citizens to facilitate the handwashing with soap and generally lessen the economic hardships on the public for those three months.

This was in a statement signed by Henry Teinor, Event Director of GEA, and copied to the Ghana News Agency in Accra.

It said the swift steps taken by government to contain the spread of the virus had been applauded by Ghanaians and the international community.

"GEA will like to appeal to energy sector players in the country to join government in the fight against the spread of the Coronavirus and its impact on economic and social life," it said.

The statement encouraged the stakeholders to support affected communities through preventive interventions and provision of relief items to complement government's interventions.

It commended various industry players and other private organisations for their donations to the COVID-19 Fund, urging other individuals and corporate groups to emulate this gesture of humanitarianism.

"We commend our frontline workers and those directly involved in the fight against the spread of the disease and urged all stakeholders to keep safe and trust that the nation will emerge out of the pandemic".

The statement implored on all and sundry to adhere to the precautionary measures by the President and the health authorities to stay safe.

The Ghana Energy Awards aims to recognise the innovation, excellence and efforts of stalwarts within the energy sector.