Ken Ofori-Atta
GOVERNMENT HAS indicated its intention to present an action plan by November 15, 2019 for the restoration of private sector participation in the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG).
The Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, disclosed this on Monday in Accra at a stakeholders’ engagement with diplomats on recent developments in Ghana’s energy sector.
“We do recognize the need to improve significantly the management of ECG, by bringing in private sector expertise and attracting private capital. This will reduce losses and improve service quality, with a view to creating a financially viable power distribution sector that is sufficiently equipped to meet the current and future needs of Ghanaian households and businesses,” he stated.
He noted that government was fully committed to private sector participation in ECG and focused on moving forward with urgency to find a suitable alternative to Power Distribution Services (PDS).
The minister, however, stated that government remained committed to the essential principles underlying the relationship between the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) and the Government of Ghana, as well as the overall bilateral relationship between Ghana and the United States.
According to him, since July, when government became aware of the invalidity of the payment guarantee, it first took steps to confirm the information regarding the legitimacy of the guarantee.
He also said the resolution which government had arrived at took some time because once government had become fully apprised of the situation, it was keen to engage with the MCC, including a meeting between the President of the Republic and the CEO of the MCC on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, to find a mutually acceptable common solution.
Speaking on government’s decision to terminate the PDS concession, Mr. Ofori-Atta said the action was at variance with the MCC’s own position on the matter.
“The United States relied on the report of FTI Consulting, an independent auditing firm, which suggested that the concession contract was valid as of March 1, 2019. This was in contrast with the report submitted by the government’s investigation team which insisted that the payment guarantee which was in issue was invalid,” he explained.
The Finance Minister said there was bound to be an improvement in service quality in the energy sector after ongoing reviews in the sector were completed, adding that a review of take or pay clauses in power purchase agreements was currently underway.
BY Melvin Tarlue