General News of Wednesday, 23 October 2019

Source: starrfm.com.gh

PDS has delivered – Yaw Oppong

Legal practitioner Yaw Oppong Legal practitioner Yaw Oppong

Legal practitioner Yaw Oppong says PDS has lived up to his expectation in the management of electricity in the country since taking over from ECG.

” As far as I’m concerned I get power regularly despite the intermittent cuts. As far as I can see, I have not seen any issue of non performance to warrant a termination of their contract,” he told Francis Abban on the Morning Starr Wednesday.

He however called on government to be clear on the exact status of their agreement with the power distribution company.

“Our government must do us a favour by explaining whether or not PDS is terminated and if so by what instrument. As to whether there have been fraud or not, I think even people who speak for government on this matter do not agree on the same issues”.

Meanwhile, the US government has cancelled the second tranche of $190 million dollars meant for Ghana under the millennium power compact.

“The United States of America notes this decision with regret. Based upon the conclusions of the independent forensic investigation, the U.S. position is that the transfer of operations, maintenance, and management of the Southern Distribution Network to the private concessionaire on March 1, 2019, was valid, and therefore the termination is unwarranted.

“As such, MCC has confirmed that the $190 million funds granted to Ghana at the March 1 transfer to the 20-year concession from ECG to PDS are no longer available.

“The United States underscores the importance of contract sanctity as essential to a conducive investment climate and a pre-condition for inclusive economic growth. In this spirit, the United States has worked with the Government of Ghana since the latter’s July 30 suspension of the concession in the hopes of finding a mutually acceptable solution that respected contract sanctity and the Government of Ghana’s interest in restructuring the concession,” the statement said.