Business News of Saturday, 16 September 2017

Source: www.ghanaweb.com

We are focused on tariff reduction - GRIDCO CEO

GRIDCO CEO, Jonathan Amoako-Baah play videoGRIDCO CEO, Jonathan Amoako-Baah

The Chief Executive Officer of Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDCO), Jonathan Amoako-Baah, has indicated that his focus will be on working to reduce tariffs.

He said that creating a phenomenon where electricity tariffs are driven down and consumers pay less electricity bill will make all stakeholders happy, hence, the conception.

"We think that if we have the whole sale electricity market established properly it will drive tariffs down and consumers will pay less electricity bills” he noted in an interview with JoyBusiness.

The GRIDCO CEO was optimistic that instituting a well-established market will make electricity production in Ghana very competitive resulting in the production of electricity that could be exported to neighbouring countries.

“It will also make production of electricity in Ghana very competitive and we can export to the outside markets to countries like Togo, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire and even to Mali. Everybody wants cheap electricity” he asserted.

Ghana experienced shortage in electricity generation and supply resulting in power crisis (dumsor) that plagued the country for close to 4years.

Several businesses experienced major losses during the power outage in 2016.

According to an ISSER report, 'dumsor' cost the country USD 618 million in economic activities in 2014 alone equivalent to 2% of GDP.

But Amoako-Baah is of the view that “if we are able to bring the cost of production down, we will be able to launch into the export markets” meaning Ghana’s demands would be met and surplus exported.