ghananlpcommunity/ghana-gov-speeches-sentences huggingface dataset:
These people have suggested that the GPGC EPA was unnecessary and its terms defective.
Friends from the media, nothing could be further from the truth than this claim.
In the first place, how can the NPP who fully participated in the approval of the GPGC Agreement in Parliament, both at the Mines and Energy committee level and at the plenary, turn around to question the propriety of same?
It is important to make the point that aside the fact that the GPGC EPA was approved by Cabinet and Parliament, its terms are materially the same as all the other PPAs executed by the then Power Ministry, some of which (KARPOWER, Cenpower etc.)
have been extended by the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia administration.
In fact, and as I have already explained, the terms of the GPGC EPA were to a large extent more favorable to the interest of the Republic of Ghana than all the other PPAs executed at the time.
What even makes this claim ridiculous and preposterous is that the Akufo-Addo government itself has by its own conduct expressed faith and confidence in the GPGC Agreement.
The government terminated the GPGC EPA and actually proceeded to make a Counterclaim against GPGC for Early Termination damages at Arbitration, by relying on provisions in the same Agreement.
Why then have they turned around to question the integrity or propriety of the very Agreement they relied on for their Counterclaim?
If the Akufo-Addo government thought that the Agreement was defective, why did they rely on provisions in the same Agreement for the termination and Counterclaim?
And why did they not raise the issue of the impropriety of the Agreement either in the termination letter of 13th February, 2018 or at the Arbitration proceedings?
For emphasis, the GPGC EPA was approved by Parliament and its terms were very favorable to the interest of Ghana.
The claim by the Attorney General, Godfred Dame that the GPGC PPA was unnecessary and defective, and his subsequent threat to refer same to the CID for investigations is nothing but a desperate post-facto face-saving gimmick, which must be treated with outright contempt.
As I have already indicated, the facts show that the USD$170 judgment debt awarded to GPGC was occasioned by the criminal negligence, complete dereliction of duty and recklessness of the Akufo-Addo government in terminating the EPA without any lawful justification and not the signing of the Agreement.
Therefore, those who have to be held responsible are those who were involved in the termination of the Agreement on the basis of fictitious and contrived claims, when they knew the danger their actions could portend for this country and not those who signed the Agreement, which was approved by Parliament.
GOVERNMENT’S SLOPPY AND INCOMPETENT HANDLING OF COURT PROCESSES TO CHALLENGE ARBITRAL AWARD Distinguished friends from the media, another point worthy of mention in this discussion is the crass incompetence and sloppiness with which the Attorney General’s Department and the Akufo-Addo government handled the court processes to set aside the Arbitral award.
As you may be aware, at Arbitration, the Republic of Ghana was represented by lawyers from the AG’s Department which included the Deputy AG at the time and now AG, Godfred Yeboah Dame, and a Ghanaian Law firm, Amofa & Partners.
The Permanent Court of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law Tribunal delivered its final award on 26th January, 2021 after which Ghana had a 28-day ultimatum to challenge same in a court of competent jurisdiction in the United Kingdom, the seat of the arbitration.
The Akufo-Addo government then engaged the services of an English law firm Omnia Strategy, which is owned by Cherry Blair, wife of Tony Blair, former Prime Minister of the UK at the expense of the Ghanaian taxpayer.
Sadly, the government of Ghana and its external solicitors went to sleep only to go to an English court on the 25th day of the 28-day ultimatum to ask for extension of time.
The court magnanimously gave an eight (8)-day extension to allow our external solicitors file the appropriate processes.
Subsequent to the grant of this extension of time by the Court, our external solicitor, Omnia Strategy, realizing that the Government of Ghana had a very bad case, and mindful of the damage the case could do to their enviable reputation, backed out of the case.
The Akufo-Addo government once again engaged the services of another foreign law firm called Volterra Fietta at the expense of the Ghanaian taxpayer, who managed to file a process to challenge the Arbitral award on the 1st of April, 2021, twenty three (23) days after the extended deadline of 8th March, 2021 had lapsed.
All the excuses which were cited by the Akufo-Addo government for the delay, mainly COVID-19 and the 2020 elections with its associated handing-over bureaucracies were dismissed as “intrinsically weak” by the Court and the final Arbitral award upheld.
Ladies and gentlemen of the media, the NDC is appalled and disgusted by the incompetence, sloppiness and recklessness that was displayed by the NPP/Akufo-Addo government, particularly the AG’s department in the conduct of this case.
The AG and her Deputy, Godfred Yeboah Dame, who led the Government of Ghana’s legal team at Arbitration, very well knew that the Tribunal had set 26th January, 2021 for its Arbitral decision or award.
They all became aware of the Arbitral Award against Ghana on 26th January, 2021 at which time, their party, the New Patriotic Party was in office.
They knew that Ghana had only 28 days to challenge the award if we so wished and they knew that an AG or deputy AG was not likely to be in office by that time.
What instructions did they give to the Solicitor General or the relevant officers of the AG’s Department in their handing over notes or what arrangements did they put in place to ensure that the Arbitral award was challenged if it didn’t go in our favor?
Clearly, the current Attorney General, Godfred Yeboah Dame, has proven to be very incompetent and sloppy as far as this matter is concerned.
His desperate attempt to extricate himself from blame and shift blame to his former boss, Madam Gloria Akufo, and past government officials who left office about five (5) years ago, is shameful and unfortunate to say the least.
In any serious jurisdiction, the Attorney General, Godfred Yeboah Dame, and the Solicitor General, who are paid by Ghanaians to defend the interest of the State in legal matters and who were actually involved in the conduct of the case, would have been held accountable or resigned by now.
RESPONSE TO FALSE CLAIMS ABOUT EXCESS CAPACITY CHARGES Finally, ladies and gentlemen, we cannot end this press conference without responding to the false narrative about excess capacity charges that the NPP and its surrogates have been regurgitating for sometime now.
The claim by the NPP that the Akufo-Addo government is paying a lot of money for power we don’t need or as excess capacity charges because the erstwhile NDC/Mahama government signed many needless take-or- pay PPAs such as the GPGC EPA is mischievous to say the least.
First and foremost, let me make the point that take-or-pay arrangements are normal insurance or financial viability provisions in Power Purchase Agreements.
In fact, it is not a new phenomenon in Ghana at all.
For the records, the Osono/CENIT PPA entered into by the NPP/Kufour administration was a take- or-pay agreement.
Also, the Trans Tema plant that was brought into the country during the Kuffuor era was on a take-or-pay basis.
Again and more instructively, the Tema LNG project recently entered into by Akufo-Addo government is a take-or-pay agreement.
There is therefore nothing wrong with take-or- pay agreements per se.
Also, the NPP’s claim that the country currently pays USD$1 billion as excess capacity charges as a result of PPAs executed by the erstwhile NDC regime has been proven to be false.
When the minister of Finance, Ken Ofori Atta, appeared before Parliament few days ago to answer a question filed by Hon.
Alhassan Suhuyini on the amount of money government has paid in excess capacity charges so far, he said in his answer that the country has paid a total of $937 million to only three (3) companies, which are Karpower, Aksa and Cenpower from the year 2017-2020.
This figure comes to an annual average payment of USD$234 million when it is divided by four (4) years.
It is worthy of note that about USD$200 million of this amount constitutes the 20% standard reserve margin of ECG which is a necessity and not excess capacity.
The remaining USD$34 million worth of power would have been totally wiped off if VALCO had been revived by the Akufo-Addo government or even if the AFD-funded 330KV transmission line project from Ghana to Burkina Faso which was commenced by the erstwhile NDC/Mahama administration and which would have ensured an increase in the exportation of power from 100MW to 200MW to Burkina Faso alone, had been completed by this government.
The question we want to ask those who keep disturbing our ears with this propaganda about excess capacity charges is; why has the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government extended the duration of the Karpower PPA executed by the NDC/Mahama government from 10-20 years and that of Cenpower from 5-10 years if the claim about excess capacity charges is true?
Only recently, the Minister for Energy, Mathew Opoku Prempeh, asked for Ghana to increase its generational capacity.
As we speak, a steel manufacturing company in Ghana, B5 Limited, which is currently the biggest in Africa, is operating at 30% capacity due to lack of power.
Where then lies the claim that Ghana is paying for power we don’t need?
Friends from the media, even if the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government thought that the country didn’t need the 107MW of installed capacity the GPGC EPA was supposed to provide or that the country could not export same for revenue as the Mahama administration had planned, the wisest thing for them to have done was to have negotiated and deferred the implementation of the Agreement, just as they claim to have done in the case of four (4) other PPAs.
Terminating the Agreement on the basis of contrived reasons which they knew could not be sustained and could potentially occasion a judgement debt and financial loss to the state was not an option.
After all, the maintenance and performance of the Agreement would have caused the nation only USD$99.6 million, with the possibility of the State exporting same for revenue.
CONCLUSION In conclusion, and as I have already demonstrated with indisputable facts in my presentation, Ghana has been slapped with this judgement debt of USD$170 million as a result of the reckless and wrongful termination of the GPGC EPA by the Akufo-Addo government, and their sloppiness and incompetence in defending same at the Arbitration and in Court.
The then Minister for Power, Boakye Agyarko, who wrote to terminate the Agreement and his Deputy at the time, knew and actually conceded that they had no legal basis to terminate the Agreement the way they did.
They very well knew that terminating the Agreement that way could potentially occasion a financial loss to the State.
Yet, they did so willfully knowing fully well what the consequences of their actions were.
They failed to take advantage of the opportunity they were offered by the company to remedy the situation or reinstate the EPA as they had promised.
This is why the wrongful termination of the GPGC EPA by the Akufo-Addo government and the avoidable financial loss it has occasioned the State is unpardonable.
As a party, we are very sad that all of us as Ghanaians will have to cough up this colossal amount of money, USD$170 million, which is equivalent to GHS1.2 billion cedis or 10.2 trillion Old Ghana cedis and which accrues interest daily, compounded on a monthly basis.
This colossal amount could have been channeled into the construction of thousands of dormitories and classroom blocks to end the obnoxious double-track system which is undermining the quality of secondary and tertiary education in the country, or the provision hospital beds and other facilities to end the much-dreaded no-bed syndrome which is claiming so many precious lives.
Alternatively, this huge sum of money could have been used to build roads and for other useful projects that would have created jobs and improved the wellbeing of Ghanaians.
The perpetrators of this evil must not go unpunished.
The NDC hereby calls for investigations into the circumstances surrounding the unlawful termination of the GPGC EPA, particularly the alleged so-called recommendation by the Ahenkora-Committee for the termination of the said GPGC EPA, which in our view raises issues of fraud.
We also demand that all officials of the Akufo-Addo government who were directly or indirectly involved in the processes leading to this huge financial loss to the State are held responsible and punished for same.
But in the likely event that President Akufo-Addo, “the Mother Serpent of Corruption”, who is himself complicit in this matter fails to act, a future NDC government will investigate this matter and ensure that those responsible for the wrongful termination of the GPGC Agreement and the avoidable judgement debt it has caused the nation, are brought to book.
We thank you for your time.
Signed, SAMMY GYAMFI ESQ.
Once again, we are grateful to host you for yet another encounter, as our dear nation prepares for a crucial election, an election that will determine our collective destiny for the next four years.
It goes without saying, that this election is unique and historic for many reasons – one being the fact that this election will be fought on the basis of the first-term record of the two leading contenders, His Excellency John Dramani Mahama on the one hand, who is riding confidently on the back of his impressive and unassailable record in government, and President Akufo-Addo on the other hand, who continues to live under the delusion that he will be second time lucky with lies, empty promises and grand deception.
Undoubtedly, one key issue that will inform the choice of Ghanaians is the subject of corruption.
This is so because, Ghanaians have seen the true record of the two leading contenders in this election, relative to their commitment to fighting corruption.
In the 2016 general elections, President Akufo-Addo mounted a moral high ground of so-called incorruptibility, and projected angelic piety to the Ghanaian people on the subject of corruption, but today his true credentials on the corruption fight have been laid bare before the Ghanaian electorate.
Today, no one is left with an aorta of doubt, that President Akufo-Addo has failed the integrity test.
President Akufo-Addo’s ‘incorruptibility’ tag is now a thing of ridicule, trampled upon with utter disdain by all fair-minded Ghanaians who have observed events unfold over the past four years.
Indeed, he and his henchmen no longer entertain any discussion whatsoever on corruption.
Friends from the media, the days of mere rhetoric grounded on nothing are long gone, as we shall be comparing the anti-corruption credentials of the two leading contenders in this elections in order to establish who amongst them is truly committed to the fight against corruption.
Research has shown that top of the essential ingredients in the fight against corruption is the political will to prosecute corrupt government officials.
Of course, there are other relevant requirements such as clear values backed by relevant legislation, strong institutions and national anti-corruption strategy among others, but political will remains the single most important sine quo non in the fight against corruption, without which any such fight will be an exercise in futility.
TOP TEN (10) CORRUPTION SCANDALS OF THE AKUFO-ADDO GOVERNMENT THAT GHANAIANS MUST NOT FORGET ON 7TH DECEMBER, 2020.
Distinguished friends, having stated the critical importance of political will in the fight against corruption, we shall now proceed to examine top ten corruption scandals that we have witnessed under the Akufo-Addo government and how same was resolved.
We shall then juxtapose Akufo Addo’s handling of corruption with how the erstwhile Mahama/NDC regime, dealt with acts of alleged corruption during his tenure as President.
This, we believe will put to rest, the debate as to who truly fought corruption and displayed the genuine political will to the fight.
THE PDS SCANDAL Ladies and gentlemen, one of the standout corruption scandals that broke out under this Akufo-Addo government is the PDS corruption scandal.
Ghanaians will recall how sometime last year, Ghana lost about US$2 billion, comprising of US$190 million under the Power Compact, and another US$500 million under the Regional Compact, among others.
Ghanaians must not forget how President Akufo-Addo, through the Minister of Energy, John Peter Amewu, and ably supported by Dr.
Bawumia, and the President’s cousin and Finance Minister, Ken Ofori Atta schemed to handover the over GH¢20 billion assets of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) to their cronies, including the owner of a barbering saloon, who had absolutely no expertise or financial capacity to handle the affairs of ECG.
Under the guise of private sector participation, President Akufo Addo gifted 51% of the GHc20 billion assets of ECG to a dubious and hurriedly incorporated vehicle called PDS.
Ghanaians were later to be told by John Peter Amewu, the Energy Minister, that even the Insurance Guarantee so presented by the PDS partners for the takeover of ECG was a fraudulent one.
The events that have followed this scandal since it broke, leaves much to be desired of, as no action has been taken against the perpetrators of this fraud.
The over 1 billion cedis that these PDS crooks collected from Electricity Consumers in the country haven’t been accounted for.
Neither has President Akufo-Addo taken any action against his errant appointees who supervised this huge financial loss.
THE BOST CONTAMINATED FUEL SCANDAL Friends from the media, Ghanaians will recall this huge scandal which broke out in the early days of the Akufo-Addo government in 2017, in which five (5) million litres of fuel worth billions of cedis.
was deliberately contaminated under the watch of President Akufo-Addo and sold to two phony and unlicensed entities – Zup Oil and Movempina, in flagrant disregard of the Public Procurement Law and the NPA Act.
Indeed, a committee formed to investigate this transaction established conclusively, that the transaction was criminal and that, the proceeds of same should be recovered back to the state coffers.
Yet, till date, not a pesewa of this illegal transaction has been paid into the state coffers, while the culprits of this transaction are still walking freely and enjoying their loot.
The worse of it is that, Mr.
Alfred Obeng, the then Managing Director of BOST and the chief architect of this transaction, is aspiring to be a Member of Parliament on the ticket of the NPP, President Akufo-Addo’s party.
This is how depraved and numb that President Akufo-Addo has become towards the corrupt activities of his appointees.
THE GALAMSEY FRAUD & 500 MISSING EXCAVATORS SCANDAL Ladies and gentlemen of the media, other scandals of the Akufo-Addo government which are still fresh in the minds of Ghanaians are the twin scandals of the “Galamsey Fraud” expose’ by Ace Investigative journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas and the 500 missing excavators.
These two scandals amplify the monumental failure of President Akufo-Addo’s fight against illegal mining, and further expose the underbelly of stinking corruption by NPP officials all in the name of fighting illegal mining.
It would be recalled, that these 500 excavators, arms, gold and other items were seized by the Inter-ministerial Taskforce on Illegal Mining, following President Akufo-Addo’s call for the nation to rally around his fight against illegal mining soon after assuming office in 2017.
The President even went to the extent of telling Ghanaians that he was willing to forfeit his Presidency just to win the war against illegal mining.
Ladies and gentlemen, these 500 excavators which were supposedly to be kept as evidence to prosecute illegal miners who were arrested by the taskforce, were rather shared among New Patriotic Party functionaries, who in turn used them to hijack the illegal mining trade and caused even worse damage to the environment.
Some of these excavators were found at construction sites as far as parts of Northern Ghana, while pickup vehicles which were seized were donated to NPP party executives and Parliamentary candidates, some of which have been branded for their ongoing political campaigns.
These corrupt activities were further highlighted in the Galamsey Fraud investigation by Ace Investigative Journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas.
This investigative masterpiece uncovered the criminal activities of appointees of the Akufo-Addo government such as Charles Bissue, a Presidential Staffer and Secretary to the Inter-Ministerial taskforce and Andy Owusu, Special Aide to Chairman Wontumi, NPP Ashanti Regional Chairman, who were caught on tape taking bribes to facilitate Galamsey activities by foreigners.
We also recall how a member of the Inter-Ministerial Task-force, Ekow Awusi, Central Regional Vice Chairman of the NPP, was caught on the infamous “party hia sika” tape, which captures a discussion between him and the Minister for Environment, Science and Technology, Prof.
Frimpong Boateng, on how to exploit the fight against illegal mining to generate funds for the New Patriotic Party, hence the need to share these excavators and other seized items among NPP party functionaries.
In the light of these events, a petition was sent to the Office of the Special Prosecutor for investigations but even before this petition was acted upon by the OSP, these errant appointees were dubiously cleared by the Chief Corruption Clearing Agent, President Akufo-Addo.
As we speak, no meaningful investigations have been carried out into these jaw-dropping allegations, whilst Ekow Awusi who was suspended as Central Regional Vice Chair of the NPP and his auctioneer license taken from him, has been reinstated by his party, the NPP, while his auctioneer license has been reinstated.
Also as we speak, Charles Bissue still remains a Presidential Staffer and continues to draw salaries from the public purse, despite the fact that he betrayed his fiduciary duty to the country right under the nose of the President.
This is yet a clearest indication of how President Akufo-Addo lacks the political will to fight corruption.
BLOATED COVID-19 FOOD RELIEF EXPENDITURE SCANDAL Ladies and gentlemen of the media, the wanton dissipation and theft of state resources under the guise of COVID-19 food distribution program, is another monumental scandal that continues to beg for answers from President Akufo-Addo.
You would recall how the Ghanaian people were shockingly told that government had expended a whopping GH¢550 billion old Cedis on food distribution during the three (3) weeks of lockdown in Accra, Kumasi and Kasoa.
We all witnessed the chaotic manner in which this charade was carried out, when NPP party functionaries hijacked the process, fed people with substandard food and pocketed millions of Cedis for the three (3) weeks that this program lasted.
Till date, the Minister for Gender and Social Protection has not been able to account for the millions of Cedis that were allocated for this program, and as it has been his stock in trade, President Akufo-Addo has exonerated those who misappropriated those funds.
The Auditor-General who was reported to have requested for files on this fraudulent relief food distribution program was callously hounded out of office by President Akufo-Addo to cover-up malfeasance such as this one and corruption scandals.
THE AMERI NOVATION DEAL SCANDAL Friends from the media, Ghanaians have not forgotten about the Ameri novation deal by the Akufo-Addo government, in which the Ameri deal which was signed by the erstwhile Mahama administration to provide emergency power during the energy crisis, was inflated by President Akufo-Addo himself by a whopping $880 million.