The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has confirmed that its engineers in the Ashanti Region have restored power to parts of Kumasi following an unusual disruption involving pythons at a substation in Ahodwo.
In a statement issued on Monday, April 27, ECG explained that the incident began on Wednesday, April 22, when residents along the Ahodwo–Daban–Dr. Asafo Adjei Road experienced a sudden power outage. The disruption was traced to a fault on a distribution feeder serving the area.
A fault response team from ECG’s Ahinsan District was promptly dispatched to investigate and resolve the issue. While engineers were able to restore electricity to some affected customers, power remained off in areas around Cocoa Depot and the Star Sawmill enclave due to a lingering fault.
The situation became more complicated when engineers, attempting to replace a faulty fuse at a nearby transformer, encountered a python that had taken refuge inside the substation.
Ahinsan District Engineer, Ing. Kwaku Appiah, noted that the reptile’s presence significantly hindered operations, as it restricted safe access to critical equipment.
Efforts by residents to remove the snake proved unsuccessful after it retreated beneath the substation structure. Despite the danger, ECG engineers seized a brief opportunity to carry out the necessary repairs.
“After attempts by residents to capture the python proved futile, the python crawled beneath the substation, and the faults team risked their lives by taking advantage of the short window to renew the fuse and restore power supply to affected customers,” he said.
The matter was later reported to the Kumasi Zoo for professional assistance. Upon arrival, officials discovered not one but two pythons at the site, along with eggs believed to have been laid there. The reptiles were eventually captured later that evening, bringing the situation under control.
ECG’s Ashanti West Regional General Manager, Ing. George Amoah, urged customers to report outages through official ECG channels, including its contact centre and verified digital platforms, to ensure quicker and safer responses to such incidents.
