No sole sourcing for the supply of power barges - Kan Dapaah

Former Energy Minister in the erstwhile Kufuor Administration, Albert Kan-Dapaah has agreed in-toto with the NDC government's decision to bring in power barges as immediate temporary emergency solution to the energy crisis.

According to the former Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament, the Mahama led administration has finally done well by admitting that the energy situation has reached a crisis.

Speaking to the issue on Oman FM’s National Agenda, the former Minister of Defence argued that without the immediate temporary solution, the erratic power supply will get worse.

The former Interior Minister however also advised the NDC government not to rush in for the power barge without going through the laws of the country which requires competitive bidding.

“We should not say it is an emergency so we will go into sole sourcing agreement with someone which will eventually run into huge debt for the country. If we want power barges, the suppliers are many in the country and so we invite majority of them for competitive bidding so that we can see that the money we are going to pay is the best in the market; if not we will run into huge debt in future...we have seen instances where people have used sole sourcing unduly to cost the country huge losses,” he advised.

The Member of Parliament for Afigya Sekyere West insisted that the government should think thoroughly of the money involved when the issue of independent power producers is being discussed in this emergency plant measures.