Energy Minister-designate John Abdulai Jinapor has firmly rejected any plans to privatize the Volta River Authority (VRA) and Bui Power Authority (BPA), assuring both workers and stakeholders that these vital entities will remain publicly owned.
During his vetting by Parliament’s Appointments Committee on Monday, January 13, Jinapor shared a new proposal to merge the two authorities into a unified energy powerhouse, which would be structured to streamline operations and enhance the efficiency of the nation’s energy generation strategy.
“We believe that we can merge Bui Power and VRA so that you have something like Ghana Power Company,” Jinapor explained. The proposed new entity would operate as a holding company, overseeing three key subsidiaries focused on hydro, thermal, and renewable energy components. However, the structure would remain fully under the control of the VRA and BPA, with no room for privatization.
Jinapor emphasized that the government intends to keep the management and ownership of these entities within the public sector. “They will determine how they want to run it; they will determine how they want to move with it,” he stated, stressing that the goal is to unify and improve Ghana’s energy generation.
The Minister-designate also addressed concerns regarding the potential impact on workers, assuring them that the government would involve them in every step of the process. “We do not intend to privatize any of those plants because they produce about 45% of our national requirement, and as a strategic step, you do not put all your energy assets in private hands,” he explained.
Jinapor further committed to consulting with employees throughout the process, stating, “This is just an idea that we intend to implement. If we need to tweak it, we will do that with them and bring about efficiency.”
The proposed merger is part of the government’s broader vision to strengthen the energy sector and improve the efficiency of Ghana’s energy assets while maintaining public control over critical infrastructure.