The Minister for Energy and Green Transition, John Abdulai Jinapor appeared before Parliament’s Energy Committee today to provide an update on the investigation into missing containers belonging to the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG).
The Minister acknowledged the crucial assistance from Port Authorities in tracking the containers, expressing gratitude to both the Minister for Transport and the Port Authorities for their cooperation.
“The Port Authorities have been very, very useful and helpful in helping us to track some of these containers,” the Minister stated. “We are working with them and I thank the Honorable Minister for Transport and the Port Authorities for their openness.” He explained.
On the matter of prosecution, the Minister clarified that this responsibility lies with the Attorney General while he is tasked with submitting the report and to request the Attorney General to examine the report and take the necessary action. The Attorney General, the Minister noted, has opted for further investigation to build a solid case, and the Ministry is relying on this process to ensure appropriate action is taken.
In response to the situation that led to the missing containers, the Energy Minister says his Ministry has implemented administrative reforms. He directed the decoupling of the procurement unit and the recruitment of qualified procurement experts. Furthermore, he mandated that all procurement processes must now go through public procurement channels. To enhance oversight, he revealed that the Ministry now requires quarterly procurement reports to track activities and ensure adherence to budgets, with provisions for justified deviations.
The briefing also touched on past procurement practices at ECG. The Minister recalled his previous tenure on the ECG board, where the board chair led the entity tender committee, and competitive tendering was common. However, the report indicates that ECG’s procurements were largely “single-sourced without any form of competition,” raising concerns about value for money. These procurements often bypassed the Public Procurement Authority and even the ECG board, a practice the Minister said we have moved away from.
Regarding unauthorized assets, the Minister emphasized the need for collaboration among agencies such as GPHA, Customs, National Security, the Ministry, and ECG to meticulously account for products.
Addressing the broader energy sector, John Jinapor acknowledged taking over a “very difficult sector” with a load shedding deficit of up to 790 megawatts. He expressed satisfaction with recent improvements, noting that “the past month, which is May, was quite stable.” He anticipates a very positive level for June, emphasizing the stability of power supply. The Minister also outlined his approval for ECG to procure transformers from within Ghana to strengthen the distribution system.
Story By: Eugenia Ewoenam Osei
