Workers of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) have launched a nationwide protest against the government’s decision to appoint a transaction advisor for the state-owned power distributor, warning the move could undermine the company’s future.
Led by the Public Utilities Workers Union (PUWU), staff across ECG offices are hoisting red flags and wearing red armbands to signal their displeasure. Union leaders say the action is a first step and could be scaled up if the government fails to suspend the appointment.
PUWU says nearly a week after formally petitioning the Ministry of Energy and requesting dialogue, no response has been received.
PUWU General Secretary Timothy Nyame told journalists that while workers remain committed to ECG’s smooth operation, they strongly oppose any process that opens the door to privatization through a transaction advisor
“ECG is not an ordinary institution. It is a national strategic asset that should not be compromised,” Mr. Nyame said. “People may come with sugar-coated words in the name of transforming the company, but the President has the power to appoint and also to disappoint anyone he appoints, and he can exercise that power.”
He cautioned that the visible red bands are “a clear sign of our displeasure with government’s move to introduce private sector participation in ECG.”
“The first step is the appointment of a transaction advisor, which we strongly oppose,” he added. “ECG has been left in the hands of Ghanaians, and it is operating, so why do we need a transaction advisor?”
The Trades Union Congress (TUC) has thrown its weight behind PUWU’s stance, urging the government to halt the process in the interest of industrial peace and job security.
Deputy Secretary General of the TUC, Dr. Kwabena Nyarko Otoo warned that the move risks unsettling the country’s labour front.
“At this point in time, when progress is being made, we do not think it is necessary to disrupt that progress and hand over ECG to a private foreign concessionaire,” he said. “Workers are worried about their job security. They have seen how privatization in this country has destroyed jobs without delivering promised investment and technology.”
Reaffirming the TUC’s long-standing opposition to privatizing strategic state utilities, Dr. Otoo questioned whether the transaction advisor arrangement is tied to Ghana’s programme with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
“The IMF was not voted into power in Ghana,” he said. “It is expected to leave by April 2026, and we will be very happy if it does. When the previous government indicated its intention to go to the IMF, we issued a statement opposing it. It was a sad day in our history.”
He argued that recent signs of economic recovery show that Ghana can manage without externally driven prescriptions.
“Things are improving. We should demonstrate to the world that we are capable of managing our own affairs. The IMF must leave in April,” he insisted.
For now, ECG workers say the red-flag and red-band protest will continue across the country until the government engages with the unions and suspends the planned appointment of the transaction advisor.
Story by: Mercy Addai Turkson #ahotoronline.com