By Former Energy Minister Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah is urging for a comprehensive audit of the GH¢10 billion accrued from the Energy Sector Levy (ESLA).
The Deputy Minority Leader in Parliament alleges misappropriation of these funds by the Finance Ministry, leading to significant indebtedness within the energy sector. He contends that this financial mismanagement has exacerbated recent power disruptions experienced across various regions of the country.
Speaking to Citi News, the Member of Parliament for Ellembelle voiced concerns regarding the government’s financial constraints hindering the procurement of fuel, which further exacerbates the ongoing energy crisis.
He stressed the urgency of addressing the issue of mismanagement of the substantial revenue generated through energy sector levies.
He underscored the immediate causes of the crisis, citing the loss of generation capacity due to inadequate coordination and planning. Additionally, he pointed out the financial constraints hindering the procurement of fuel as a contributing factor to the ongoing challenges.
“But more importantly, trying to make sure that the taxes that Ghanaians are paying, which is almost GH¢10 billion in the energy sector levies, which is being mismanaged at the Ministry of Finance, is addressed properly.
“Because the immediate cause of the crisis is, one, some generation capacity is lost because there is no coordination and planning. Two, because we don’t have money to buy fuel. ECG is not able to pay the power producers to buy fuel. That is why we are in this crisis.”
