President John Dramani Mahama has praised the Volta River Authority (VRA) for its prompt and effective response to the recent fire outbreak at the Akosombo Hydroelectric Power Station’s control room, describing the incident as a chance to modernise the ageing facility.
The President made the remarks during a visit to the site on Thursday to assess the extent of the damage and review ongoing recovery efforts.
Mahama expressed sympathy over the fire incident, which affected power generation and was felt across the country, but lauded the technical team for their professionalism and speed in restoring operations.
“We heard about the sad event — the fire outbreak in your control room — and of course, Ghanaians have felt the impact,” he said.
He added that the VRA’s swift actions demonstrated the institution’s strong capacity. “I’m not surprised because VRA has some of the best human resources you can get anywhere. When I heard they were going to find a way of bringing it back, I was not surprised,” the President stated.
Describing the fire as an “act of God,” President Mahama noted that the control room, which has been in operation since 1964, had reached an age where such an incident, though unfortunate, could catalyze improvement.
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“This is an act of God because who would have expected that a control room that has been there since 1964 would experience this kind of fire?” he remarked.
He emphasised that the adversity presents a valuable opportunity for transformation. “They say adversity is an opportunity. Now that this has happened, it allows us to replace it with a more modern control room that will serve this plant for generations to come,” Mahama said.
The President disclosed that significant progress had already been made in restoring power generation. “I have been briefed that four of the turbines are back on, and work is ongoing to bring the remaining two back online. I am told more good news will follow soon,” he revealed.
Mahama commended the staff of the VRA and its partners for their dedication and resilience, urging them to sustain the momentum until full operations are restored.
He assured continued government support for the authority, stating: “VRA will continue to be one of the foremost institutions, together with Ghana Grid Company, and government will continue to support you.”
