Minority demands government’s position on Ameri deal

The minority in parliament is demanding government’s position regarding the Ameri deal.

In a press briefing Wednesday July 26, 2017, the minority leader, Haruna Iddrisu said there is a notice of a motion filed by the MP for Adansi Asokwa, Kobina Tahir Hammond seeking a rescission Order on the Ameri power deal.

The Order, according to the Tamale South MP, is requesting parliament to rescind its decision on the deal for reasons of gross misrepresentation.

The minority is therefore demanding government’s position. He said, “We want to know the official government position on the matter as the contract is in force and the matter even if parliament took a decision will have consequences on our energy generation and even ‘dumsor’”.

The minority leader went further to question the parliamentary procedure that K.T Hammond is using to seek for the abrogation of the contract.

“We are also at a loss whether a Member of Parliament can just wake up as disgruntled as a member may be to seek to rescind a decision of a previous parliament. This was a decision of the 6th Parliament of Ghana. We want to know the particular standing orders he is revoking,” he quizzed.

They advised the Adansi Asokwa MP to seek legal redress in the courts if he feels something is wrong with the contractual arrangements.

“I should think the appropriate forum for him [K.T Hammond] will be to go to court to attack the fundamentals of the terms of the contract which is in force but not to sleep and just wake up midday and say he wants a rescission by parliament”.



He maintained that the Ameri intervention has been useful for the country for which reason its abrogation will have consequences especially regarding the one who would bear the responsibility in the event that it is abrogated.

The John Mahama administration in 2015, agreed to rent the 300MW of emergence power from Africa and Middle East Resources investment group (AMERI) at the peak of the country’s power crisis to build, own, operate and transfer the plant to Ghana.

The decision was taken when Dr. Kwabena Donkor was Power Minister. The cost of the deal was $510m, and received parliamentary approval on 20th March 2015.

However, the NPP government has raised some concerns about the contract alleging it emerged that the country has been shortchanged.