Ghana’s Ministry of Energy has responded to claims by the country’s main opposition NDC that the country’s energy sector is struggling because it has been poorly managed by the Akufo-Addo administration.
According to the Ministry, the energy sector has been better managed by the current administration contrary to the opposition’s claims.
Responding to claims made by the former Deputy Minister for Power under the John Mahama administration, Head of Communication at the Ministry, Nana Kofi Oppong-Damoah rather blamed the NDC for the financial woes of the energy sector.
Speaking on an Accra-based Citi FM, Mr Damoah said a US$500 million dollar take-or-pay contract with Independent Power Producers signed by the John Mahama administration is rather draining the sector.
“The country’s energy sector is very functional and we are doing well. I would have been very happy if they (NDC) had mounted the platform and said that the current Ministry is getting it wrong, [because they] do not understand the current structure and explain it to the people of Ghana in a very eloquent structure that they have done that this was the strategy and this is why it makes sense, but, no such thing was done. As we speak, they claim that debts are mounting but they should remember that they are contributing US$500 million every year to that debt stock,” Nana Damoah explained.
Nana Damoah also dared the opposition party’s Minority to sue the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) if they believe the corporation allegedly condoned illegality by procuring loans without parliamentary approval.
Mr Damoah threw the challenge in response to John Abu Jinapor’s claim that the GNPC between 2017 and 2019 procured loans amounting to US$1 billion without parliamentary approval.
“This is entirely absurd and again let me put out these facts. In this country, as we stand, if indeed GNPC has been allowed to borrow US$1 billion without parliamentary approval, then, as parliamentarians, they sit down and let this go on then it tells you the kind of parliamentarians that we have.
“The fact that they are Members of Parliament; they make a claim that these loans did not even come to Parliament as they should have. Nothing stops them from going to court and asking the Supreme Court to declare that GNPC has condoned an illegality. If you haven’t done this and you mount political platforms to make allegations then it is needless,” he stated.
Source: www.energynewsafrica.com