Minority demands probe into GH¢10bn ESLA funds

Former Energy Minister Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah is calling for a thorough audit of the GH¢10 billion generated from the Energy Sector Levy (ESLA).

The Deputy Minority Leader in Parliament alleges mismanagement of the funds by the Finance Ministry. He argues that this mismanagement has led to crippling debt within the energy sector, exacerbating recent power outages in various parts of the country.

In an interview, the Member of Parliament for Ellembelle expressed concerns over the government’s inability to procure fuel due to financial constraints, which is contributing to the ongoing power crisis.

He emphasized the need to address the issue of mismanagement of the substantial revenue generated through the energy sector levies.

He highlighted the immediate causes of the crisis which he said include the loss of generation capacity due to a lack of coordination and planning, as well as the financial constraints preventing the purchase of fuel.

“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.”