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General News on Thursday, April 11, 2019
Source: peacefmonline.com
2019-04-11
Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, former director of the Danquah Institute
Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko recently claimed that the Akufo-Addo government saved Ghana $ 7.6 billion from the termination of some eleven (11) purchase contracts. electricity entered into by the former Mahama government.
Ordinary, these lies and these artificial statements should have been treated with the contempt it deserves. However, because of Gabby's proximity to President Akufo-Addo and the enormous political influence he exerts within the government, it is necessary for the NDC to re-establish the facts.
The contradictions
On November 17, 2017, the Minister of Energy, Boakye Agyarko, informed the general public that the Ministry of Energy had achieved savings of 7.6 billion US dollars through the termination of some 11 purchase agreements over a period of 13 years (https://www.myjoyonline.com/business/2017/November-20th/govt-cancels-11-power contracts.php).
Soon after the resignation of Boakye Agyarko, the new Minister of Energy, Hon. John Peter Amewu unveiled a totally different figure at a press conference held Thursday, September 20, 2018.
At the said press conference, Amewu said that the Ministry of Energy had achieved savings of $ 6.8 billion through the termination of the same power purchase contracts.
(Https://mobile.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/business/Gov-t-terminates-11-Power-Purchasing-Agreements-signed-under-Mahama-686747)
However, these claims were only recently dismissed by the GEC (who is the lessee and the signatory of the agreements) during a presentation to the Special Parliamentary Committee on Mines and Energy.
It is therefore laughable that a government of more than 120 ministers relies on a citizen, Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, to develop such vile propaganda.
Facts
On November 13, 2016, a Cabinet report on the energy sector prepared by the Ministry of Energy, the Energy Commission and the World Bank (IBRD and IDA) recommended the following: abandonment of certain energy purchase agreements that may have been closed. Among the findings of this report, it should be noted that some of the PPIs did not meet their contractual obligations, thus prolonging the country's power deficit and challenges.
It should be noted that most of these PPAs could only come into force after certain preconditions have been met.
The agreements were to receive the necessary approvals from the Cabinet and Parliament with the Government Consent and Support Agreement (GCSA) that accompanied it, which was subsequently replaced by an option agreement. put-call (PCOA).
It is therefore absurd that Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko and the NPP conclude that the country has saved the colossal amount of US $ 7.6 billion by what they call a "cancellation of PPAs".
Obviously, this point of view is not corroborated by the facts and denotes a total misunderstanding of the questions.
It is important to point out that electricity purchase contracts are mainly executed by decision makers, not by the president, as Gabby and the nuclear power station maliciously attempt to represent him.
The crucial question is: why did Gabby and the NPP fail to provide details on the terminated PPAs (including the date of signature, the annual capacity charges and the corresponding conditions) so that Ghanaians could their own judgment?
Clearly, the Akufo-Addo government and the NPP have lost their concentration, hence their continued recourse to begging and pure political quarreling.
recommendations
Rather than continually complaining about Ghana's excess capacity, the Akufo-Addo government should focus on extending national electricity coverage and exporting electricity to neighboring countries.
Since taking office, the Akufo-Addo government has only managed to increase that derisively 1% increase in national electricity.
More disturbing still is the fact that the expansion of our transmission lines from 161KV to 330KV, started under President Mahama with the aim of increasing electricity exports to Burkina Faso and from the United States. other neighboring countries, is bogged down under this government. These are tricky issues that should hold the government's attention.
The president should give up the incessant lamentations and take advantage of the additional generation that was discovered to propel their vacillating and weak 1 District 1 Factory promise.
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