Agyarko’s appointment was a big 'mistake' – Asiedu Nketia feels vindicated

The General Secretary of the NDC, Johnson Asiedu Nketia says his party has welcomed with ‘joy’ the removal of Energy Minister Boakye Kyeremateng Agyarko by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

“We [NDC] feel vindicated. We are happy the truth is out. That is what has happened and the NPP is now ashamed,” he told NEAT FM’s morning show ‘Ghana Montie’.

According to Asiedu Nketia, Boakye Agyarko’s appointment as Energy minister was a ‘big’ mistake made by the President after many questions were raised.

“The same person was accused of bribery during his vetting and nothing was said about him after a committee’s report. His ministry was also hit with the contaminated fuel saga among other things. These were signs for the President to see that Boakye Agyarko was a mistake to the country,” he said.

A letter dated 6 August 2018, signed by Director of Communications at the presidency, Mr Eugene Arhin, said Mr Agyarko is to hand over his office to the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, John Peter Amewu, who will act temporarily as Minister of Energy, until a substantive appointment is made.

The President wished Mr Agyarko well in his future endeavours.

Mr Agyarko’s dismissal is in connection with the Novation and Amendment Agreement of the controversial $150 million Ameri deal signed by the John Mahama administration in 2015.

Mr Agyarko came under heavy criticism when he claimed that Ghana will gain $405 million from the new power deal with Ameri Energy but it was discovered that the country will rather lose up to $472 million.

Background

The revised deal brought to Parliament for approval has received as much a backlash as the original deal signed by the Mahama led government in 2015 during a major power paralysis in the country.

The $510million power plant for five years was criticized by the then opposition New Patriotic Party with allied policy think tanks including ACEP and IMANI.

The party promised to review the deal if it won power in the 2016 elections and when it did, a 17-member committee was constituted to investigate the details of the AMERI deal and provide recommendations.

The Philip Addison led committee concluded the deal had been inflated by about $150 million and recommended a review.

The government brought to Parliament a review of the agreement by introducing a new company, Mytilineous International Trading Company, to take over the interest of AMERI with an extended period of five to 15 years.

The new company has offered to pay Ameri an amount of $52,160,560.00, with government paying the remaining $39 million to the Dubai based company so they can wash their hands off the deal entirely.