Renaming AMERI Plant to Kumasi Power Plant: NDC bigwigs descend on Akufo-Addo

Some members of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) are up in arms, slamming President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo over the supposed intention to rename the AMERI Power Plant to Kumasi Power Plant.

This comes after the Volta River Authority advertisement indicating that the African and Middle East Resources Investment Group Plant (AMERI Plant) which was relocated to the Ashanti Regional capital, Kumasi, will be commissioned by President Akufo-Addo on April 17, 2024, with the new name, Kumasi 1 Thermal Power Plant (K1TPP).

The Deputy Minority Leader, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, in a post shared on X, described the renaming of the AMERI Plant as shameless.

He indicated that the renaming of the plant is a typical example of President Akufo-Addo's renaming of projects that were started by other governments, in order to make his administration look good.

"The Akufo-Addo and Bawumia administration's latest stunt in the energy sector epitomizes their penchant for deception and lack of originality.

“By shamelessly rebranding the AMERI Power Plants as the Kumasi 1 Thermal Power Plant, they are attempting to conceal their incompetence and lack of substantive progress with a facade of false achievements.

"This blatant move to rename existing infrastructure in a bid to claim credit for the hard work of their predecessors not only lacks integrity but also insults the intelligence of the Ghanaian people,” he wrote.

Armah-Kofi Buah, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Ellembele, also said that the AMERI Plant was brought in by the John Dramani Mahama government to help stop the country’s age-long intermittent power supply crisis (dumsor).

“Under the visionary leadership of John Dramani Mahama, the Ameri power plants were strategically deployed to combat the debilitating power crisis known as 'dumsor'. These plants, each capable of generating 25 megawatts of electricity, served as a vital lifeline for the nation during a time of dire need,” he added.

The MP continued to say that, “Rather than acknowledging the foresight and proactive measures taken by the previous administration, Akufo-Addo and Bawumia chose to discredit, vilify and undermine Mahama's initiatives for their own political gain at the time.”

The Ranking Member on the Mines and Energy Committee of Parliament and MP for the Yapei-Kusawgu constituency, John Abdulai Jinapor, also described the renaming of the plant by Akufo-Addo as unthinkable.

He said that the president has “done the unthinkable by rebranding the Ameri plant procured under the able leadership of former President John Dramani Mahama under a new name called Kumasi 1 Thermal Plant (K1TPP).

“All in a desperate attempt to deceive Ghanaians,” the MP is quoted to have said by 3news.com.

The former Deputy Minister of Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, also in a post shared on X, said that after President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and the New Patriotic Party criticised Mahama when he was bringing in the AMERI plant, the president wants to rename it as one of his projects.

“After telling outrageous lies about the 250MW AMERI Power Plant procured and installed by the Mahama administration in 2015,the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government has relocated 6 out of the 10 turbines to Anwomaso in the Ashanti Region at a cost of $40 millon and is seeking to call it by another name,” he wrote.

See the reactions of the NDC bigwigs to the renaming of the AMERI Plant below:

THE RENAMING OF AMERI POWER PLANT TO “KUMASI POWER PLANT” IS DECEPTIVE AND SHAMEFUL.

The Akufo-Addo and Bawumia administration's latest stunt in the energy sector epitomizes their penchant for deception and lack of originality.

By shamelessly rebranding the Ameri Power Plants… pic.twitter.com/mxlHd9dYOk

— Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah (@ArmahKofiBuah) April 13, 2024

Lawyer Edudzi Kudzo Tameklo espousing the uselessness of the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government on the Ameri Power Plant deal.

Don't you agree with him? pic.twitter.com/JXEDeOcLAk

— General Marcus! (@marcusadampah) April 15, 2024

After telling outrageous lies about the 250MW AMERI Power Plant procured and installed by the Mahama administration in 2015,the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government has relocated 6 out of the 10 turbines to Anwomaso in the Ashanti Region at a cost of $40 millon and is seeking to call it… pic.twitter.com/Gmo0R76JOW

— Felix Kwakye Ofosu (@FelixKwakyeOfo1) April 13, 2024