Power Cuts to Hit Parts of Kumasi, Kumawu and Effiduase — Here Is What You Need to Know

Households and businesses in several communities across the Ashanti Region should brace for planned electricity outages this week, as GRIDCo carries out essential maintenance works on its transmission infrastructure. Parts of the Kaase area in Kumasi will be without power for three consecutive days — Monday through Wednesday — while residents in Kumawu, Effiduase and surrounding towns face a separate outage on Tuesday.

What is happening and where

The Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo), which manages the country's high-voltage electricity transmission network, has scheduled line works that will require temporary power interruptions in affected communities. The Kaase corridor in Kumasi bears the brunt of the disruption, with the three-day cut likely to affect homes, shops, schools and other facilities that depend on a stable electricity supply.

A distinct but related outage is planned for Tuesday, targeting Effiduase, Kumawu and nearby towns in the same region. Although shorter in duration, the Tuesday cut will still inconvenience residents who rely on electricity for daily livelihoods — from cold-store operators and hairdressers to mobile money vendors and small-scale manufacturers.

Authorities have not yet indicated specific start and end times for the outages, so residents are advised to prepare as early as possible — ideally from the beginning of each affected day.

Why it matters for Ghana

Planned outages of this nature are a routine part of maintaining a reliable national grid, and GRIDCo periodically carries out line inspections, repairs and upgrades to prevent more severe and unannounced breakdowns. When ageing infrastructure is left unserviced, it increases the risk of prolonged, unplanned outages that can be far more damaging to businesses and households than a scheduled cut.

The Ashanti Region is Ghana's most populous region and one of its most economically active, with Kumasi serving as the country's second-largest city. Any disruption to power supply in the area has an outsized economic impact, particularly on market traders, food vendors and small businesses who cannot easily switch to alternative energy sources. For communities like Kumawu and Effiduase — which are smaller and have fewer backup options — even a single day without electricity can disrupt productive activity significantly.

The outages also serve as a reminder of the broader infrastructure investment challenge facing Ghana's energy sector. While GRIDCo and the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) work to modernise distribution networks, the pace of upgrades has not always kept up with rising demand, particularly in rapidly growing urban and peri-urban communities.

How to prepare

• Charge all devices — phones, laptops, power banks and emergency lights — the night before or early in the morning before the cut begins.
• Store water if your supply depends on an electric pump, as the outage may disrupt access.
• Refrigerated goods should be managed carefully; minimise opening of fridges and freezers to retain cold temperatures for longer.
• Businesses that can afford it should consider generator fuel or inverter backup to maintain operations during the affected periods.
• Stay informed — follow updates from ECG and GRIDCo on their official social media pages in case timings change.

GH Today will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates should the schedule change or additional communities be affected.