The Minister for Energy and Green Transition, John Abdulai Jinapor, has sounded the alarm over the disappearance of more than 1,350 containers belonging to the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) from the Tema Harbour, exposing major procurement irregularities within the energy sector.
A committee set up to investigate the issue has revealed widespread violations of procurement processes spanning several years. In a statement on Tuesday, March 25, 2025, the Minister disclosed that a 103-page report had been submitted, outlining shocking details of mismanagement and lack of oversight.
“The findings from the committee report are very disturbing, with over 1,350 of the containers missing from the Tema port aside from serious procurement breaches in the past few years,” Mr. Jinapor stated in a social media post.
He assured the public that the government is committed to addressing the issue and ensuring that those responsible are held accountable. “The law enforcement agencies will surely be tasked to hold culprits liable,” he emphasized, underscoring the urgency of the matter.
The disappearance of ECG’s assets and the procurement violations have raised serious concerns about transparency and governance in the energy sector. With billions of cedis at stake, stakeholders are calling for stronger oversight, anti-corruption measures, and systemic reforms to prevent further financial losses.
The Ministry of Energy has vowed to work with law enforcement agencies and regulatory bodies to track down the missing containers, recover losses, and implement tighter controls over procurement processes within the ECG and the broader energy sector.
Meanwhile, The Executive Director of the Centre for Environmental Management and Sustainable Energy (CEMSE), Mr. Benjamin Nsiah, has refuted claims.
According to Mr. Nsiah, while the containers can be considered “missing” quantitatively, they are not missing qualitatively because they can be traced.
He questioned the process by which the containers allegedly went into demurrage and were subsequently transferred to the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) bonded warehouse, where they were auctioned.
He emphasized that the individuals who authorized the auction and those who purchased the containers can be identified.
Mr. Nsiah further argued that the specialized nature of the materials in the containers makes them difficult to sell on the open market.
He suggested that some ECG workers might have bought the items from the auction buyers and resold them to ECG due to operational needs.
Although he admitted that he had not seen the report from the committee chaired by Prof. Innocent Senyo Acquah, Mr. Nsiah maintained that it is unlikely that the containers are truly missing, as the items should have been accounted for by the GRA.
He reiterated that the auction process should have records detailing who authorized the sale and who purchased the goods.
Speaking in an interview with Otafrigya Kwesi Apea-Apreku on the GHANA YENSOM morning show on Accra 100.5 FM on Wednesday, March 26, 2025, Mr. Nsiah expressed concerns over liability issues in ECG, suggesting that some ECG workers might have repurchased the items.
He also highlighted ECG’s financial challenges, revealing that the company recorded a liability of 52% between 2021 and 2022, which reduced to 35% between 2022 and 2023.
