Ghana’s government said it had added power generation capacity to its national grid in an attempt to fix electricity supply deficit that caused years of frequent blackouts hurting businesses, Reuters reported. As frequent blackouts have also angered voters, the government pledges improvements ahead of the country’s parliamentary and presidential elections to be held in late 2016.

The government has invested in the expansion of electricity production to overcome the energy crisis caused by increased demand from consumers and businesses, insufficiency in water supply for hydroelectric plants, and inadequate supplies of gas for turbines.

The power cuts have been a hot political topic with many residents suffering 24-hour blackouts. The power crisis began in 2012 and the main opposition New Patriotic Party said it was a sign of the government’s failure to manage the broader economy of the West African state.

For years, Ghana was one of Africa’s leading economies through its exports of gold, oil, and cocoa, but growth has slowed due to lower global commodity prices. The government is also adhering to an International Monetary Fund program meant to cut spending and raise revenue to solve the country’s fiscal crisis, ThisDayLive added.