Former President, John Mahama is shocked and disappointed over the government’s handling of the Power Distribution Services (PDS) brouhaha following the cancellation of the concession agreement.
He further described as sad, the US government’s decision to discontinue the provision of the $190 million in support of the Electricity Company of Ghana’s (ECG’s) turnaround and lambasted the government accusing its appointees of seeking parochial interests and taking “decisions that reflect sad and worsening situation of state capture increasingly being experienced.
The former president, who was speaking at the inaugural ceremony of the 2020 National Democratic Congress (NDC) manifesto committee, pointed out that “the entire citizenry is disappointed in the current administration because of the self-serving decision taken by the Nana Akufo-Addo-led administration with regards to the PDS fiasco.
“As someone who took over from Professor Atta Mills of blessed memory, and supervised the Ghana Compact II negotiations with the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) and the US government, I am deeply disappointed in the current administration for handling of the deal.
“We are all disappointed by the self-serving decision that was taken and the deliberate acts perpetuated by the Flagstaff House in the ECG concession agreement that has led us to where we are today which is absolutely needless and could have been avoided.
“For the MCC to withdraw $190 million of funding is sad for us, the money was meant to improve efficiency and effectiveness of our electricity utility corporation, the shady happenings were absolutely avoidable, right decisions with future of growth and development of our country in mind were not prioritised,” former President Mahama bemoaned.
But addressing the media to announce formal processes to abrogate the contract, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, the Minister of Information, said the motive of the government in the concession had rather been to ensure efficiency and effectiveness and not create, loot and share and maintained that “no effort to get the nation a good deal has been spared because the government has not been up to any machinations, the intent has been to ensure efficiency and effectiveness in the ECG turnaround programme and the fulfillment of broader compact”.
Government on Wednesday commenced processes to terminate the concession agreement between it and the PDS following announcement of cancellation of the contract by Ken Ofori Atta, the Minister of Finance, after meeting with officials of MCC. -citinewsroom.com
