Samuel Dubik Mahama
The controversy surrounding the disappearance of Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) containers at the Tema Port has sparked a blame game, with various political and corporate figures weighing in on the matter.
The scandal, which involves the disappearance of 1,346 containers consigned to ECG, has led to intense scrutiny and demands for accountability.
Missing Containers and ECG’s Complaint
In a formal complaint to the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA), ECG’s former Managing Director, Samuel Dubik Mahama, detailed that at least five containers of electricity meters, supplied by L & R Investment and Trading Company Limited, were auctioned without ECG’s notice.
The goods, said to have been shipped between July 2017 and December 2018, according to a letter, remained at the port due to contractual disputes between ECG and the supplier.
In the said letter, ECG insisted that the auction was conducted without following proper procedures, and called for the annulment of the auction, citing concerns that the illicit sale of the meters could lead to further commercial losses for the company.
Political Responses and Denials
Amid the scandal, the Old Tafo Member of Parliament (MP), Ekow Vincent Assafuah, defended former Energy Minister, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, also known as Napo, stating that “the Napo I know will never be involved in such a scandal.”
Mr. Assafuah asserted that the former minister had no knowledge of the auction or the missing containers, dismissing attempts to link him to the issue.
Meanwhile, a statement from GPHA, dated February 9, 2023, acknowledged ECG’s complaint and confirmed that the authority was engaging the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) to explore recovery options.
However, sources within the government have said the lack of transparency surrounding the auction process has fueled speculation and further controversy.
Conflicting Reports and Transition Discrepancies
According to the sources, the scandal has been further complicated by conflicting reports regarding the total number of missing containers.
They indicated that a memo released by the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) indicates that the ECG and GRA had identified five auctioned containers in 2022 and 2023, though there was no concrete proof of a legitimate auction.
The sources indicated, however, that a later technical audit under the current administration found that out of 3,000 ECG containers supposedly at the Tema Port, 1,346 were unaccounted for.
They said this revelation had raised questions about whether the previous administration knowingly misrepresented the actual number of containers at the port during transition meetings in December 2024.
Call for Accountability
The public remains outraged over the lack of clarity and accountability surrounding the missing ECG containers.
One source asserted that whether the containers were auctioned, stolen, or misappropriated, the central issue remains: critical electricity infrastructure, funded by taxpayers, has disappeared under questionable circumstances.
By Ernest Kofi Adu