Energy Minister John Jinapor has exposed alarming financial mismanagement at the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), revealing massive overspending that has severely drained the company’s resources.
According to the Minister, ECG’s planned procurement budget in 2014 was GH¢1.397 billion, but actual spending skyrocketed to GH¢8.2 billion by the end of the year.
A similar trend was recorded in 2023 when ECG budgeted under GH¢1 billion but ended up spending GH¢8.3 billion—exceeding the budget by over GH¢7.3 billion.
“This represents a staggering 700 percent increase over what was budgeted,” Jinapor stated. “In 2022, ECG procured GH¢1.3 billion worth of items. By 2023, it had skyrocketed to GH¢8.3 billion, and in 2024, it was GH¢8.2 billion. This reckless over-expenditure has crippled ECG financially,” he lamented.
Meanwhile, National Security operatives have arrested 14 persons, including 10 Chinese nationals and four Ghanaians, in connection with the disappearance of 1,300 containers belonging to ECG.
Jinapor assured Ghanaians that those responsible would be held accountable and that efforts were underway to stabilize ECG’s finances.
“In simple terms, I want my containers—simple as that,” he declared.
“Wherever they are, we will trace them. Those we have apprehended will not just be prosecuted. We will go to court, seek an order to sell their assets, and use the money to invest in the grid system to make power delivery more reliable.”
Chief Superintendent Osman Alhassan, Director of Investigations at the National Security Council Secretariat, clarified that no Indian national had been arrested in connection with the missing ECG containers. He confirmed that only 14 individuals—10 Chinese and four Ghanaians—were in custody.
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