Joyce Bawah Mogtari, spokesperson for the John Mahama campaign team, has acknowledged the detrimental impact of the prolonged power outages, known as ‘Dumsor,’ during former President Mahama’s tenure on their fortunes in the 2016 general elections.
She admitted that the energy crisis was a significant setback for the party, contributing to their electoral defeat.
In an interview on Monday, July 8, Joyce Bawah Mogtari clarified that Mahama’s approach to the energy crisis was focused on finding long-term solutions rather than exploiting it for political gain.
She explained that the administration faced a formidable challenge in attempting to swiftly resolve the persistent power outages, which proved to be difficult despite their earnest efforts.
Bawah Mogtari emphasised that the impact of ‘Dumsor’ was deeply felt by Ghanaians, causing widespread frustration and discontent among the populace.
She acknowledged that the administration’s inability to adequately address the issue contributed to public dissatisfaction and electoral consequences for the NDC.
Reflecting on the lessons from that experience, Bawah Mogtari underscored Mahama’s commitment to addressing the energy crisis substantively if given another opportunity to lead.
She expressed confidence that Mahama’s dedication to resolving critical issues, rather than exploiting them politically, remains a cornerstone of his leadership approach.
“I believe strongly and maybe because I’m very close to the campaign, that in 2016, one of our biggest misfortunes was the fact that we had these crippling power outages.”
“I mean look, the whole of Ghana suffered enormously from those outages and people were up in arms. Yes, maybe we could even have offered solutions in a much quicker time, but it wasn’t that easy to do.”
“This was a country that over the years depended largely on Akosombo Dam, we used to have crawlers telling us about the water levels, and then the rain patterns changed, and then climate issues happened. And somehow, it threw us completely overboard. Look, it was not in Mr Mahama’s interest for that whole protracted power outage to have actually occurred, but it happened,” she said.
