NPP has run down energy sector - Jinapor

A Former deputy Minister of Energy, Mr John Abu Jinapor, has accused the government of running down the energy sector with bad policies and nepotism.

He said as a result of the poor management of the sector, the country presently spent less than 50 per cent of petroleum revenue on capital projects with about $655million of petroleum proceeds unaccounted for under the current government.

“Today as I speak to you, the Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation (BOST) has no stocks in Ghana's oil reserves, although it was retooled and resourced under the NDC government.

Today, Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) has borrowed over GH¢1 billion and these monies have been borrowed without approval by Parliament,” he said.

Mr Jinapor, who was speaking at the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Policy Dialogue series in Accra yesterday, said although the NDC established the framework for an accelerated development of the energy sector, “the family and friends government that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration was running had reflected heavily in the petroleum sector”.

He said when oil was discovered under the NDC government, a number of laws were passed to ensure that local companies were given good terms to grow their capacities irrespective of their political affiliation to ensure that petroleum revenues benefited the whole nation and not a selected few as was being done under the current government.“

Ghanaians voted for Akufo-Addo because he promised not to run a family and friends government but that is the exact opposite he is doing.

Akufo-Addo will go down in history as the president who has done very little for the country's petroleum sector even though it has received so much,” he said.

The dialogue series

The dialogue series is an initiative of the NDC to help spell out their policies to the general public as the country prepares for a general election in December.

The Wednesday edition, which focused on the energy sector, was held on the theme: ‘State of Ghana’s Energy Sector: Confronting Corruption and Ensuring Wealth Creation for all, not a few.’

The Flagbearer of the NDC, Mr John Dramani Mahama, and some former appointees of his government, including Mr Armah Kofi Buah and Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, graced the event.

It also brought together the national executive members of the party, including its Chairman, Mr Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, the General Secretary, Mr Johnson Asiedu Nketia and the National Communications Officer, Mr Sammy Gyamfi.

Investments

Mr Jinapor noted that the investments made by the NDC in the sector would have propelled growth if the NPP had continued with the progress made.

Highlighting some of the NDC’s achievements in the sector, Mr Jinapor said by the time the NDC was handing over power to the NPP government, the country had three Floating Production Storage and Offloading vessels (FPSOs) and three oil fields.

The NDC, he said, also ensured that the Tema Oil Refinery was resourced and retooled but under the current administration, the progress had been reversed.

Mr Jinapor assured the gathering that when the NDC returned to power, “all the infractions at the GNPC would be punished.”

Dumsor

Mr Jinapor also accused the NPP government of increasing levies in the petroleum sector which had brought hardship on the people.

He said it was the NDC that fixed the energy sector challenges before leaving office and that the Vice-President contradicted himself in Kumasi during the town hall meeting when he said it was NPP that fixed dumsor, when he had said in a previous interview that Mahama deserved no credit for fixing dumsor.