A worker fixing electrical lines on a utility pole in a bustling African market district.
Power cuts are expected to last at least another three weeks in parts of Ghana because of a shortage of supplies from Nigeria. To end the shortfall, Ghana’s government will have to stump up around $400m to buy gas and liquid fuel for power plants. A growing debt may be behind the power shortages that started early this year. The state power company – the Electricity Company of Ghana – owes about $1.2bn to private energy producers, which also include Nigerian suppliers. Last July, private suppliers threatened to shut down operations over the arrears.