Boakye Agyarko – My side of the story will come out

• Posted on August 7, 2018
• by Ellsamwise King
• Comment

Boakye Agyarko hopes to give more perspective to his dismissal as the Energy Minister.

“When the dust settles my side would be heard,” Mr. Agyarko said in a post on social media.

The Presidency confirmed that Boakye Agyarko’s dismissal as the Energy Minister was due to his handling of the AMERI novation and amendment agreement.

The Director of Communications at the Presidency, Eugene Arhin said the dismissal “is to do with the issue of the controversial AMERI deal.”

“The President believes that in the interest of the Ghanaian people, in the interest of the country and in the interest of his administration, the Minister for Energy, Hon. Boakye Agyarko should be relieved of his position,” Eugene Arhin said.

The Minority in Parliament has maintained that President Nana Akufo-Addo was complicit in the deal.

This was after some reports suggested that the President had given executive approval to the novation agreement.

“Boakye Agyarko may be on the lower end of the food chain. I think we have people who are on the higher side,” the Bongo MP, Edward Bawa remarked following Mr. Agyarko’s sacking.

John Peter Amewu is to act as Minister for Energy until a substantive appointment is made.

The Akufo-Addo government took the revised deal to Parliament last week under a certificate of urgency.

But the House deferred its deliberation on the contract due to concerns over the cost and value for money.

The new agreement was to extend the current five-year deal with Africa and Middle East Resources Investment Group (AMERI) Energy which is currently operating a 300MW emergency power plant in Ghana to 15 years and bring onboard a new company from Greece, Mytilineous International Trading Company, to manage the plant for the period.

Aside from this controversy, some Minority MPs on Parliament’s Appointments Committee accused the leadership of the Majority of giving GH¢ 3,000 each to members of the committee to approve him after his vetting in 2017 unanimously.

The Member of Parliament for Bawku Central, Mahama Ayariga, leveled these allegations.

The allegation was backed by the Member of Parliament North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, and MP for Tamale North, Alhassan Suhuyini and led to a probe by a special committee set up by Parliament.

The committee, which was headed by MP for Essikado-Ketan, Joe Ghartey, eventually ruled that Mahama Ayariga’s claims were baseless, and he was subsequently ordered to apologize, which he did, although reluctantly.

Source: CNR