Energy Minister, John Jinapor has vowed to ensure that the previous management of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) under which over 1300 ECG containers went missing will face the law.
The Minister claimed that between 2022 to 2024, ECG engaged in over procurement and did not adhere to the approved procurement plan, a reason he said they could not clear some containers at the Tema port which eventually went missing.
The Minister made the comment while addressing journalists after touring some manufacturing sites in Tema which belonged to Chinese nationals suspected to be in possession of the missing cables.
“Why we have this problem is that in 2014, ECG’s planned procurement was GHC1.397 billion by the end of the year, they procured GHC 8.2 billion and so they engaged in frivolous expenditure and procured items that they did not have money to clear and that is what has brought us here.
“The same with 2023, their planned procurement was less than GHC 1 billion they ended up procuring GHC8.3 billion, over and above what was approved for them.
“So, if you look at the records in 2022, they procured 1.3 in 20213 they procured GHC 8.3 billion and in 2024 they procured GHC 8.2 billion way above what was approved for them,” he emphasised.
John Jinapor noted that the previous heads of state electricity distributor would have to make justification as to why there was over procurement leading to the “mess.”
“They will be held liable and I am writing to the Attorney General whoever superintended over this mess would be held liable. The management then and the head of ECG he has to provide a justification for why he would procure GHC8 billion when he has to procure GHC1.3 billion because if they had stack to their procurement plan, we wouldn’t have gotten here.
“Those who are claiming that the containers were stolen when we came into office, that is false. They have just confessed that they started buying this cable right from 2019,” he added.
Officials of National Security have uncovered how high-tension cables belonging to the state power distributor, ECG, were being melted to make aluminum poles and exported out of the country.
Two companies involved in the illicit activity are currently under investigation after 8 Chinese nationals and two Ghanaians were arrested on Thursday, March 27, 2025 in connection with the over 1300 missing ECG containers at the port.
This latest development forms part of investigation into the over 1300 missing ECG containers from the port.
Officials of the National Security and Energy Minister, John Jinapor together with journalists visited the manufactories of these companies on Friday, March 28 where the illegal activity had been ongoing for years since 2019.
Chief Superintendent Alhassan Osman is the Director of Investigations at the National Security Council said “from the intel we have here, this has been ongoing for so many years. They were producing this from ECG cables and so it is not a new thing and you can imagine the money they make. The cables are sold to them cheap.”
Addressing the press briefly after touring the manufacturing sites in Kpong, the Energy Minister said the law will take its course for the missing containers to be retrieved.
“Since 2019, this crime is being perpetuated on the state, the then government slept on it, this government will not allow this to continue and as Minister I will ensure that we curtail this, we will follow and retrieve these containers. I want my containers, simple as that,” Jinapor assured.
