John Abdulai Jinapor, the Minister for Energy and Green Transition, has formed a committee to investigate the procurement activities of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) during the Akufo-Addo administration.
During an interview on TV3’s Hot Issues on February 16, 2025, Jinapor expressed concerns about what he described as “frivolous procurements” by the ECG. He revealed that approximately 3,000 containers belonging to the ECG are currently stacked at the ports, which could incur costs of around GHS 1.5 billion in demurrage fees.
“This situation arises from what I consider extremely frivolous procurements. The 3,000 containers at the ports are racking up demurrage costs of about GHS 1.5 billion, which is unacceptable. Some items they’ve acquired will last them ten years, while others could expire in five,” he stated.
To address these issues, a committee has been commissioned to probe the ECG’s procurement practices and assess the costs related to the containers at the ports. According to Jinapor, the preliminary findings indicate that previous managers at ECG failed to adhere to proper procurement procedures and guidelines. “The initial reports I have received suggest significant mismanagement at ECG,” he noted.
In light of these findings, Jinapor announced that the Ministry plans to undertake a human resource audit alongside a comprehensive audit of the energy sector. This initiative aims to uncover inefficiencies within the sector and inform the creation of relevant policies.
“Beyond that, we will also commission a technical report. While PwC has conducted a financial audit, we intend to perform a human resource audit and a thorough review of the entire energy sector to gain a clearer understanding of the inefficiencies. This will enable us to align our policy objectives and directives accordingly,” he explained.
