Lights About to Stay On? ECG Says “No More Dumsor Vibes” After Major Upgrade

The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) is rolling out a major transformer upgrade across eight substations in Accra, and if everything goes as planned, constant outages could soon be old news. Starting Wednesday, April 8 through Friday, April 10, ECG will upgrade twelve transformers in areas including Adenta, La, Teshie-Nungua, Nmai-Dzor, Baatsonaa, and Lashibi. The upgrade pushes capacity from 20–26 MVA to a stronger 30–39 MVA—basically giving the city’s power grid a serious performance boost. According to ECG’s General Manager of External Communications, Charles Nii Ayiku Ayiku, this isn’t just a small fix—it’s a long-term play. He says the move will reduce overload issues and make frequent outages a thing of the past. “This is a huge upgrade,” he explained during a media tour. “Customers should expect more reliable power going forward.” But before the glow-up kicks in, there’s a small catch. ECG says planned outages will happen during the upgrade window, with each customer expected to experience about six hours of downtime. General Manager for Sub-Transmission in Accra, Francis Kofi Atsyatsya, said the project is all about increasing capacity, improving efficiency, and preparing the system for more users. The eight substations are part of phase one, with earlier work already completed in Denu. After wrapping up in Accra and Tema, ECG plans to take the project to Kumasi next. Short-term inconvenience, long-term stable lights—at least that’s the promise.