The Ministry of Energy has announced that the Akosombo Dam has been completely shut down.
The development follows a fire outbreak at the Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo) substation at Akosombo, which has caused major disruptions to power supply across the country.
According to a report by citinewsroom.com on Monday, April 27, 2026, the Ministry confirmed that the fire caused extensive damage to critical infrastructure at the substation.
The Ministry explained that the damage disrupted operations and forced authorities to temporarily shut down the Akosombo Dam as a safety measure.
Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show on Monday, April 27, the Ministry’s spokesperson, Richmond Rockson, said the fire severely affected the dam’s switch system, rendering it inoperable.
He added that the extent of the damage has also impacted the country’s power generation and distribution network, requiring urgent intervention.
“The switchyard, which is at the Akosombo Substation, is completely burnt down and is not salvageable. The primary control room for the switchyard is completely gone. It was even difficult for us to walk there when we got there to assess the situation.
“When that happened, we had to shut down the Akosombo Dam completely, and that is what has caused outages in many parts of the country, as we are seeing. Akosombo is a major component of our power generation,” he stated.
The incident reportedly occurred at approximately 2:01 pm on Thursday, April 23, when the substation was suddenly engulfed in flames.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Energy and Green Transition, John Abdulai Jinapor, has asked the Chief Executive Officer of GRIDCo, Mark Awuah Baah, to step aside pending investigations into the fire incident at the Akosombo power control centre.
The development was announced by the Minister of State in charge of Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, on X on Sunday, April 26, 2026.
According to him, a major shake-up has also been carried out at the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) in the Ashanti Region following recent intermittent power outages in the area.
“The Minister for Energy and Green Transition has asked the CEO of GRIDCo to step aside pending investigations into the fire incident at the Akosombo power control centre.
“There has also been a major shake-up in the leadership of ECG in the Ashanti Region,” Kwakye Ofosu said.