Minority Calls for Investigation into GH¢10bn ESLA Funds

Deputy Minority Leader in Parliament, Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah is advocating for a comprehensive examination of the GH¢10 billion that has been generated from the Energy Sector Levy (ESLA).

The ex-Energy Minister claims that the Finance Ministry has mishandled the funds, suggesting that this mishandling has resulted in significant debt within the energy sector. He contends that this situation has worsened recent power cuts experienced in different regions of the country.

In a discussion with Citi News, the Member of Parliament for Ellembelle voiced worries about the government’s struggle to obtain fuel because of financial limitations. This, he highlighted, is adding to the current electricity crisis.

He stressed the importance of tackling the problem of mismanagement of the significant revenue generated from energy sector levies.

He pointed out the immediate causes of the crisis, citing the loss of generation capacity due to insufficient coordination and planning, alongside financial limitations hindering the procurement of fuel.

“But more importantly, trying to make sure that the taxes that Ghanaians are paying, which is almost GH¢10 billion in the energy sector levies, which is being mismanaged at the Ministry of Finance, is addressed properly.

“Because the immediate cause of the crisis is, one, some generation capacity is lost because there is no coordination and planning. Two, because we don’t have money to buy fuel. ECG is not able to pay the power producers to buy fuel. That is why we are in this crisis.”