After spending billions on streetlighting, why are Ghana’s streets still dark?
Most of Ghana’s major roads and streets are persistently dark at night. This is despite the fact that Ghanaians pay a 3 percent energy levy on their electricity bills. Investigations by The Fourth Estate found that, the Energy Ministry between 2023 and 2025 awarded street lighting contracts worth eight billion Ghana cedis – mostly without competitive bidding. On this episode of the podcast, we go behind the numbers to discuss why Ghana’s streets remain dark despite the billions awarded in contracts.