Hot SourceThe Minister for Energy, John Abdulai Jinapor, has assured Ghanaians that all documents relating to the controversy surrounding the missing Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) containers have been submitted to the Office of the Attorney General for legal action.
Addressing the media today, 17 October 2025, the Minister expressed strong disappointment over the manner in which contracts were awarded far beyond approved thresholds, describing the situation as unacceptable and a costly burden on the state.
“If ECG was your company, and you were a shareholder, and you invested money in it, and your management came to tell you that they’ve awarded contracts, about nine billion, when the port approved contracts for just about three billion… they are given a threshold at the port of three billion, and you end up spending about nine billion,” he said.
The Minister explained that not only were contracts awarded in excess of approved limits, but the company also failed to make available funds to clear containers at the port, leading to additional costs and operational delays.
“It’s not as if you spent nine billion. You’ve given contracts so much so that they continue to get to the port, you don’t even have money to clear the containers. So, one, you are incurring costs of nine billion. Two, you are not using the items while they are stuck at the port. Three, you are paying the mortgage for the containers stuck at the port,” he stressed.
Mr Jinapor disclosed that significant efforts had to be made in collaboration with several state agencies to retrieve the containers, a process he described as “a very, very difficult task.”
“As Minister, I’ve got to work extra hard with the other stakeholders. And I want to thank the GRA Customs staff, the ECG executives, the National Security Coordinator, and the Chief of Staff, Madam Frema Osei-Opare, for helping us to move those containers.”
He issued a firm caution to management of state-owned enterprises, insisting that such negligence and financial indiscipline will not be tolerated under his watch.
“So, like I said, we should never go that path again. And as Minister, I will not tolerate that. It may have happened in the past. It must not happen today. We have forwarded the full document to the Attorney General. And if people are found culpable, I’m very confident that the law will take its course.”
Mr Jinapor emphasised that the move is not about victimisation but about safeguarding public funds and ensuring that state agencies operate with discipline and accountability.
“We are not victimising anybody. We are doing what is right and what is proper. The taxpayers’ money must be accounted for. Nobody would allow this in his or her own company. But you know, sometimes people think government is distant. Government is you; government is me.”
The energy minister reiterated his commitment to restoring integrity and value-for-money principles within the energy sector, adding that every cedi spent must reflect tangible benefit to the Ghanaian people.
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