Chop-Chop: Relocation Of AMERI Power Plants From Aboadze To Kumasi Cost US$34Million

The Minority in Parliament has been jolted into yet another corruption hunt after the Akufo-Addo government claimed it cost a whopping US$34million just to relocate the Ameri power plants from Aboadze in the Western Region to Kumasi in the Ashanti Region

A member of the Energy Committee in Parliament, Edward Bawa, is leading the Minority’s quest for a cost breakdown.

“As a Minority, we demand the breakdown of this cost, particularly when the country is having difficulties paying salaries and servicing our debt. The Energy sector is under serious challenges and therefore such opaque transactions must be halted in the supreme interest of every Ghanaian,” he noted.

As the transaction is coming at a time that Ghana is in dire financial straits, the Bongo MP has additionally questioned the decision to do the relocation now, wondering if the relocation cannot wait if it really is going to cost US$34 million.

The cedi equivalent of US$34million is a whopping Ghc270 million to simply relocate the power plants from the Western Region to the Ashanti region.

The power plants already belong to Ghana after the successful fulfillment of a build operate and transfer (BOT) contract.

In March last year, the government disclosed its decision to relocate the Ameri Plant located at Aboadze to Kumasi in the Ashanti Region to help stabilise the national grid.

According to Hon. Edward Bawa, the Ghc270.4million relocation cost was communicated by the government when it met with the Mines and Energy committee met with a number of Agencies in the Mines and Energy sector over the weekend.

The Bongo MOP wants the transaction to be halted because according to him, “answers were not forthcoming” when the Minority demanded details of the transaction.

He said, “the company contracted to carry out the relocation of the plant is mytilineous international trading company, the same company that was involved in the novation and amendment of the Ameri contract that almost swindled Ghanaians but for the vigilance of the Minority.”