The Executive Director of IMANI Center for Policy & Education, Franklin Cudjoe has called for the resignation of the Energy Minister, Emmanuel Kofi Buah for non-performance.
Mr. Cudjoe said the Energy Minster has failed to fix the country’s energy crisis since he was elected into office.
“He [Energy Minister] has failed to proffer any serious vision, futuristic solution to the energy crisis; look at the demeanor, look at the public statement, none of them since this man was made a minister have been made in a manner that would give some hope to the business community or ordinary people to be able to plan…,’’ he said.
The President and Founder of IMANI Ghana made this assertion on Citi FM’s news analysis programme, The Big Issue on Saturday.
According to him the Ministry has failed in all predictions and timelines given.
‘’The Ministry sat down and allowed the three entities; VRA, GRIDCo and ECG to be miscommunicating then I am saying that there is no coherence in thought, in concept, in application of even that thought process…,’’ he added.
Mr. Cudjoe further stated that when the Minister continues to misinform the general public on the real and proper state of the energy situation in the sector has serious implication for the nation’s economy. ‘’You need somebody to come and give you vision,’’ he said.
‘’When he keeps telling you that this gas problem we will deliver it, announcing the numbers as if they are lotto numbers. The implication for the nation is serious;… every statement you make on important matters like energy you’ve got to be very serious,’’ he reiterated.
The current situation has caused a cut down of investment by some companies. He noted that Ghana may be open for business but with this kind of mis-speaking, we send the wrong signal to investors.
He concluded that the whole gamut of the NDC governance system lacks focus and does not understand the policy space in terms of energy.
“The President has made a substantive appointment, but, he is being fed with lies [on the energy situation], they deceived him to say the ‘dumsor’ was over. You can’t continue to fool the President that way,’’ he added.
Another panelist on the show, Sydney Casely-Hayford, a Financial Analyst also supported the call for the resignation of the Minister.
‘’There is no reason why Kofi Buah [Energy Minister] should be at post,’’ he said.
Mr. Casely-Hayford further added, however, that President Mahama should also be blamed for poor leadership because he has failed to hold his ministers to task. ‘’If a minister is not performing and you cannot call him to task…, [the President must be blamed too],’’ he opined.
By: Evans Effah/citifmonline.com/Ghana