By Ibrahim Awall
A Member of Parliament has expressed concern over the ‘unauthorized’ dismantling of the Osagyefo Power Barge by a private firm named Misak Limited.
The power barge, with a capacity of 125 megawatts, was originally procured by the Jerry Rawlings government in 1999 from Italy at a cost of $110 million under an arrangement with Balkan Energy.
In 2015, the Ministry of Energy directed the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) to take over ownership of the barge. However, due to a prolonged legal dispute, the GNPC was unable to carry out any maintenance activities on the barge, leading to its deterioration from excessive corrosion.
“I asked a question to ascertain the status of the power barge and the Minister confirmed that a private company with the name Misak, without proper authorisation and due processes, has significantly dismantled the power barge and sold off the component”, MP for Jomoro, Dorcas Affo-Toffey, called for legal action to be taken against Misak Limited following an update provided by the Deputy Minister of Energy, William OwurakuAidoo, on the status of the barge.
What surprises me the most is that there has not been any legal action taken against the company that did this illegal act but rather, the government is seeking to share the proceeds from the sale of the power barge with the company.”
She also demanded for a full-scale audit into the disposal of the badge and transparency in the sale of the barge.
“As the MP of the area, I am demanding that the right thing be done and the company must be brought to the law and also a full-scale forensic audit into the disposal of the badge be done and finally calling for a high level of transparency in the final sale of the badge.”
