Renaming AMERI Power Plants Is Deceptive And Shameful- Armah-Kofi Buah To Akufo-Addo

The Deputy Minority leader in Ghana’s Parliament, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, has condemned attempts by the Akufo-Addo-led government to rename the  the 250-megawatt (MW) Africa and Middle East Resource Investment (AMERI) Power Plants which have neen relocated to Kumasi.

The Volta River Authority (VRA) in a recent Facebook post announced the commissioning of what it called the Kumasi 1 Thermal Power Plant (K1TPP), located at Anwomaso in the Oforikrom Municipality of the Ashanti Region, on Wednesday, April 17, 2024.

Mr Buah who is the Member of Parliament (MP) for Ellembelle strongly criticized the move by government to rebrand the Ameri Power Plants as the Kumasi 1 Thermal Power Plants describing the action as “deceptive and shameful.”

In a post on his X page Sunday, April 14, 2024 the former Energy Minister believed that attempts by government to rename the plants is a deliberate effort to conceal its shortcomings in the energy sector.

The lawmaker fingered New Patriotic Party (NPP) government of manipulating historical facts and deceiving the public regarding the origins of vital infrastructure.

Read the full post below:

THE RENAMING OF AMERI POWER PLANT TO “KUMASI POWER PLANT” IS DECEPTIVE AND SHAMEFUL.

The Akufo-Addo and Bawumia administration’s latest stunt in the energy sector epitomizes their penchant for deception and lack of originality.

By shamelessly rebranding the Ameri Power Plants as the Kumasi 1 Thermal Power Plant, they are attempting to conceal their incompetence and lack of substantive progress with a facade of false achievements.

This blatant move to rename existing infrastructure in a bid to claim credit for the hard work of their predecessors not only lacks integrity but also insults the intelligence of the Ghanaian people.

Under the visionary leadership of John Dramani Mahama, the Ameri power plants were strategically deployed to combat the debilitating power crisis known as ‘dumsor’.

These plants, each capable of generating 25 megawatts of electricity, served as a vital lifeline for the nation during a time of dire need.

However, rather than acknowledging the foresight and proactive measures taken by the previous administration, Akufo-Addo and Bawumia chose to discredit, vilify, and undermine Mahama’s initiatives for their own political gain at the time.

Fast forward to the second year of the AKUFFO Addo/Bawumia government. They hurriedly decided to renegotiate the Ameri agreement by extending the five-year deal with Africa and Middle East Resources Investment Group (AMERI) Energy the operator of the the 300MW emergency power plant in Ghana to 15 years and dubiously bringing onboard a new company from Greece, Mytilineous International Trading Company, to manage the plant for the remainder of the contract period.

But for the vigilance of the NDC minority in parliament and civil society organisations, Ghana would have ended up paying over Ghc1 billion under the new arrangement.

When the President was caught,he shifted blame by claiming that he was “misled” and consequently fired the then Energy Minister,Mr.Boakye Agyarko.

Fortunately, the Ameri plant is now fully paid for and rightfully owned by the people of Ghana.

But that was not the end of the drama, the Akufo-Addo-Bawumia administration made the decision to relocate six units of the plant to Anwomaso in the Ashanti region, a move intended to generate 150 megawatts of electricity for the middle belt of the country.

By generating 150 megawatts of electricity for the middle belt of the country, the government sought to create a facade of progress while conveniently sidestepping the broader challenges plaguing the energy sector.

The Akufo-Addo-Bawumia government’s renaming spree is not limited to universities but now extends to the power sector.

The rebranding of the Ameri Power Plants as the Kumasi 1 Thermal Power Plant is not merely a superficial change but a cynical attempt to distort historical facts and mislead the public about the true origins of this critical infrastructure.

It is however important that the people of Ghana do not forget the history of the Ameri power plant.

The Akufo-Addo-Bawumia government’s pattern of renaming projects initiated by previous administrations is a clear reflection of their lack of innovation and leadership in the energy sector.

The once-thriving energy sector that was bequeathed to this government by President Mahama has regrettably been eroded under their watch. We are currently struggling with Dumsor due to the indebtedness made worse by this administration.

The good people of Ghana deserve leaders who are committed to honesty, accountability, and genuine progress, not hollow promises and superficial gestures.

By: Christian Kpesese