You have no business donating motorbikes to police – Kwabena Donkor tells ECG
The Member of Parliament (MP) for Pru East, Dr Kwabena Donkor, has criticised the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) for donating 200 motorbikes to the Ghana Police Service.
According to the former Minister of Power, ECG has no business taking over the responsibility of the state to provide logistics for the Ghana Police Service, considering its huge indebtedness to Independent Power Producers (IPP).
Management of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), on Monday, December 11, 2023, donated 200 motorbikes to the Ghana Police Service to enhance police operations nationwide.
The company also pledged to donate an additional 800 motorbikes in subsequent batches.
“I read with shock on Tuesday that the Electricity Company of Ghana had donated 200 motorbikes to the Ghana Police Service. Ordinarily, any such donation would have attracted my approval. But with this particular one, ECG has no business taking over the responsibility of the state to provide logistics for the Ghana Police. ECG is in debt for billions of cedis.
“Indeed, two weeks ago, the Minister of Finance had to intervene to stop Sonon Asogli from shutting down because of ECG’s indebtedness to IPPs. For an entity that cannot pay its indebtedness, they have no business buying motors for the Ghana Police. It is the height of irresponsibility on the Management of ECG to donate motorbikes to the Ghana Police when they cannot pay their debt. I call on the Ministers of Energy and State Enterprises to call the ECG management to book,” Dr. Kwabena Donkor noted in an interview with journalists on Wednesday, December 13, 2023.
The member of the Mines and Energy Committee of Parliament further called on the Minister of Energy and the Minister of State Enterprises to investigate the act and take action.
It will be recalled that Sunon Asogli Power (Ghana) Limited, an independent power producer, threatened to shut down its plant for one week due to a debt of $60 million owed by ECG.
The independent power producer later called off the indefinite shutdown of the plant due to the intervention and assurance from the Minister of Finance and a Minister of State to settle unpaid invoices.
As promised, through the government’s support, the Management of ECG paid $30m to Sunon Asogli Power (Ghana) Limited on December 8, 2023.
The Managing Director of ECG, Mr Samuel Dubik Masubir Mahama, revealed that his company, in collaboration with the government, has planned to settle the remaining $30m by mid-December to facilitate Sunon Asogli’s operation.