[ 2016-09-26 ]

Ghanaian petitions US gov’t over ECG privatization
A Ghanaian citizen Richard Asante Yeboah has
petitioned the US government over some aspects of
the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG)
privatization deal.

The Millennium Development Authority (MiDA) signed
an agreement with government to cede part of ECG
to private partners under the Power Compact II.

But ECG workers had accused MiDA of acting in bad
faith in the entire cession process

Mr. Asante Yeboah told Citi News the deal is not
in the interest of Ghana and must be reviewed.

He explained that the petition seeks “to
indicate to them and also make it clear to these
individuals that there ought to be a full scale
investigation into the whole process leading into
this ECG concession arrangement.”

Compact II in full force

Meanwhile, the Power Compact II earlier this month
came into full force despite a law suit against
MiDA over the concession of the ECG.

But the Public Utility Workers Union (PUWU) had
insisted that MiDA acted in bad faith in
announcing the deal because they had objections
over aspects of the agreement.

According to the General Secretary of PUWU,
Micheal Adumatah Nyantakyi, the ECG can be made
profitable without necessarily handing over the
company to a private partnership arrangement under
the compact two.

ECG workers protest

ECG workers embarked on a number of exercises
including a sit down strike and demonstration in a
bid to protest the concessionary arrangement.

Ghana to get over 498m dollars

Ghana signed the Power Compact with the United
States of America acting through the Millennium
Challenge Corporation (MCC), an independent United
States government agency, on the sidelines of the
US Africa Leaders’ Summit in Washington DC on
August 5, 2014.

The Ghana Power Compact would provide Ghana with a
grant sum of four hundred and ninety eight
million, two hundred thousand United States
Dollars (US$498,200,000) to improve the
performance of Ghana’s power sector, unlock the
country’s economic potential, create jobs, and
reduce poverty.

About US$350 million of the grant is being
invested in ECG to make the country’s power
distributor operationally and financially more
efficient.

The Compact is being implemented by the Government
of Ghana through the Millennium Development
Authority (MiDA).

Source - citifmonline.com

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