According to the Coalition, some of the companies bidding to takeover ECG have demonstrated that they are incapable of delivering since they are already engaged with the ECG.

Government is expected to look for a private operator to manage the ECG under the Power Compact Two agreement to enable the U.S government inject 498 million dollars into the company through the Millennium Challenge Corporation.

But speaking at a press conference, a member of the group, Dr. Steve Mantey Yaw, warned that the bidding process must be rechecked to enhance transparency.

“A combination of MiDA’s wavering and the apprehensions about the three players left in the bidding, give us serious cause for concern. Our main concern, therefore is to ask publicly whether MiDA can confirm and assure the nation that this Compact is on course and would not suffer hiccups and possible reversal. We also need their assurance that they will conduct the assessment of bidders in a most stringent and transparent way to ensure we have the best,” he said.

“At least MiDA and the Ministry of Energy need to explain to the Ghanaian people why they shifted due dates, altered requirements, and are allowing players with clear problems to remain in the bidding process.”

The Coalition of ECG Concession Arrangement (COSECA), had earlier in 2017, called for further negotiations on government’s decision to partly privatize the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG).

The proposed deal will see the ECG being ceded to a private investor for some 20 years.

But speaking on Eyewitness News at the time, the Convener of the Group, Richard Nyamah, argued that the move if not carefully negotiated, will lead to “redundancies” within ECG.

“We want further negotiations and we want the Minister to address the letter we have sent…If we are able to solve this venture thing I think we will jump the hurdles because we do not think as a country we have money to pay redundancies in ECG …,” Mr. Nyamah said when queried on implications of the said deal.

As part of his suggestions, Mr. Nyamah further advised government to allow the ECG enter into a “joint venture” with the private investor to address the likely challenges the deal might create.

“Concessionary means a new company taking over, and we are saying that to go around this redundancy that we don’t have money for, let us find a way of introducing ECG into the whole process. Let them enter into a joint term venture.”

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By: Michael Ogbodu/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post COSECA raises issues with ECG concession processes appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

According to him, the ECG workers’ approach to expressing their dissatisfaction over some clauses in the deal is inappropriate.

[contextly_sidebar id=”tSbVu0Dj10cW7hGeFRA5qB9u70Gb90Dj”]“It beats my imagination that we sit in a meeting, come to an agreement, sign off on them and they change their minds. Why didn’t they come back immediately to say no we disagree? But to have waited for 2 months for this matter to move on and come back not under the umbrella of the previous discussion to take a strident lone view that you disagree with grandfathering is disingenuous,” he told Citi News in an interview.

COSECA has been reiterating the stance of the Public Utilities Workers’ Union (PUWU) calling on the government to review the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) compact, which among other things will see the OCG being ceded to a private investor for 20 years.

The government has suggested it is not ready to review the deal as it believes it has addressed all the concerns of the workers.

Among the concerns was the probability of mass layoffs, but the government has given assurances that no worker will be laid off involuntarily.

But the General Secretary of PUWU, Michael Adumata Nyantakye, said at a forum with COSECA on Tuesday that the Union has initiated steps to take legal action against the concession process.

“We have a very serious objection to the model to the concession which has been proposed. The president said there will be no involuntary staff layoffs, which is good, but we find it inadequate because we have no details about how this is going to work out,” he said.

“We are taking steps with some lawyers to take this process if possible, find out from the court or seek declaration or challenge so that our rights as workers are not trampled upon,” he added.

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By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Boakye Agyarko slams ECG group over privatization appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.