Upper East: We’re working to fix power challenges in Garu – VRA/NEDCo

The management of VRA/NEDCo in the Upper East Region says it is diligently working towards resolving the power supply challenges in some parts of the Garu district.

Following a severe rainstorm that damaged approximately 31 electric poles in the area, communities such as Akora, Woriyanga, Yakoti, and Kpikpira have experienced prolonged power outages.

Expressing their concerns, the local youth have demanded an immediate solution to this problem as they say it adversely affects their livelihoods.

However, Ishmael Ben Kwofie, the VRA/NEDCo Area Engineer, in a Citi News interview assured that despite the extensive damage caused by the rainstorm to their network, their team is working tirelessly to restore electricity supply to the affected communities by the end of this week.

“The extent of damage caused by the rainstorm was quite substantial, making it challenging to acquire the necessary materials for power restoration. It took several days before we could address the situation, but there are contractors currently on-site attending to the matter. Numerous communities were affected, including Akara with 11 damaged high-tension poles, Woriyanga with 9 poles, Yakoti with 7 poles, and Kpikpira with 4 poles. Additionally, several low-voltage poles were also damaged. Our priority is to restore the high-tension poles, followed by the low-voltage poles,” explained Ing. Kwofie.

He acknowledged the unfortunate delay in restoring power promptly due to the extensive damage and material requirements.

However, the team, he said, is determined to resolve the issue by the end of this week. Out of the approximately 613 damaged high-tension poles, 23 have already been restored, and they have dispatched steel poles to repair the remaining 9 damaged ones.

Ing. Kwofie appealed to the affected communities for patience while VRA/NEDCo works diligently to restore power supply, assuring them that the company will continue exploring innovative opportunities to reduce such failures in the future.

Furthermore, he expressed concern over the impact of the ongoing Bawku ethnic crisis on the company’s operations in the area.

He said contractors are currently hesitant to enter Bawku to address specific electricity supply challenges.

“We currently face a breakdown in Bawku, and despite contacting several contractors, none of them is willing to collect materials from our yard and commence work. This is a significant problem that has already affected our operations. However, we are actively working to mitigate this issue and hope that it does not prolong,” Ing. Kwofie lamented.

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