Why Akufo-Addo has every right to rename AMERI plant - Nsafoah Poku

A former New Patriotic Party (NPP) flagbearer hopeful, Kwadwo Nsafoah Poku, has asserted that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has every right to rename the African and Middle East Resources Investment Group (AMERI) Plant which the John Dramani Mahama administration acquired.

Members of the opposition National Democratic Congress have been criticising President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for his intention to rename the AMERI Power Plant following an advertisement by the Volta River Authority which showed that the president was going to commission the plant after it was recently relocated to Kumasi with the new name, Kumasi 1 Thermal Power Plant (K1TPP).

However, Nsafoah Poku, the head of Dr Bawumia’s Manifesto Sub-Committee on Energy has laughed at the suggestion of the NDC members that there is something wrong with Akufo-Addo renaming the AMERI Plant.

In a post shared on social media, Nsafoah Poku made the point that the use of the name AMERI by the John Dramani Mahama government for the plant was wrong in the first place.

He claimed that the AMERI company played only a retailer role in the AMERI deal and it was later found out that the company engaged in some illegalities.

“The full name is Africa and Middle East Resource Investment (AMERI). They signed an agreement to sell ten (10) 25 MW GE TM2500 gas-fired turbines to Ghana for $510 million. These 10 GE TM2500 turbines could have been bought directly from the company General Electric (GE) for $220 million at the time (2015). By going through a middleman and paying over 5 years, Ghana overpaid $290 million.

“At the time, the Ameri company had a fake office address in Dubai, and their website was put up just 2 months before they signed the agreement, according to the Norwegian newspaper Verdens Gang (VG). The director who signed the agreement with the deputy Attorney General, Hon. Dominic Ayine, is Mr. Umar Farooq Zahoor, an international fraudster with arrest warrants issued by Interpol and the Oslo police,” he wrote.

The former NPP flagbearer hopeful added, “The Ameri company only played a middleman role in the acquisition of the 250 MW GE plants. The company that owned the 10 GE TM2500 turbines was a Greek EPC company called METKA, which is owned by Mytilineos Group. On 17th September 2015, METKA issued a press release in Athens stating that they would be providing Ghana with ten new gas turbines manufactured by GE. They put the cost of the transaction at $350 million. Ameri, being the middleman, walked away with $160 million in free money.”

He also said that the government of Ghana now, through companies operated by the VRA, owns the plant and there is no need for its name to remain as AMERI.

“The ten gas turbines are owned by Ghana and operated by VRA, so why should they be called Ameri? Ameri in Ghana stands for fraud, rent-seeking, and corruption. The NDC can keep that name. I believe they should instead express gratitude to VRA for the rebranding. We are still waiting for innovative ideas on why the NDC wants to come back to power.”

Read his full statement in the post below:

WHY SHOULD THOSE GAS TURBINES BE CALLED AMERI?

I am baffled by the latest claim made by the NDC that the government is deceiving Ghanaians by renaming the Ameri plants K1TPP (Kumasi 1 Thermal Power Plant).

The NDC should be happy that the government is finally removing the name Ameri. Let me remind Ghanaians what AMERI is;

The full name is Africa and Middle East Resource Investment (AMERI). They signed an agreement to sell ten (10) 25 MW GE TM2500 gas-fired turbines to Ghana for USD $510 million. These 10 GE TM2500 turbines could have been bought directly from the company General Electric (GE) for USD $220 million at the time (2015). By going through a middleman and paying over 5 years, Ghana overpaid USD $290 million.

At the time, the Ameri company had a fake office address in Dubai, and their website was put up just 2 months before they signed the agreement, according to the Norwegian newspaper Verdens Gang (VG). The director who signed the agreement with the deputy Attorney General, Hon. Dominic Ayine, is Mr. Umar Farooq Zahoor, an international fraudster with arrest warrants issued by Interpol and the Oslo police.

The Ameri company only played a middleman role in the acquisition of the 250 MW GE plants. The company that owned the 10 GE TM2500 turbines was a Greek EPC company called METKA, which is owned by Mytilineos Group. On 17th September 2015, METKA issued a press release in Athens stating that they would be providing Ghana with ten new gas turbines manufactured by GE. They put the cost of the transaction at USD $350 million. Ameri, being the middleman, walked away with $160 million in free money.

Anyone can verify from all records that it was indeed METKA who operated the gas plants at Takoradi for 5 years. The company Ameri did nothing in Ghana except rip us off.

Today, the NDC is not ashamed to remind Ghanaians of this bad deal. They want President Mahama to be given credit. Yes, we will give credit where it is due, but also credit for a very bad transaction that cost Ghana USD $160 million.

The ten gas turbines are owned by Ghana and operated by VRA, so why should they be called Ameri? Ameri in Ghana stands for fraud, rent-seeking, and corruption. The NDC can keep that name. I believe they should instead express gratitude to VRA for the rebranding. We are still waiting for innovative ideas on why the NDC wants to come back to power ????.

Kwadwo Nsafoah Poku

Chair, DMB Energy Manifesto Committee.

REPOST: WHY SHOULD THOSE GAS TURBINES BE CALLED AMERI?

I am baffled by the latest claim made by the NDC that the government is deceiving Ghanaians by renaming the Ameri plants K1TPP (Kumasi 1 Thermal Power Plant).

The NDC should be happy that the government is finally removing… pic.twitter.com/pc7Pv5a6iB

— Nαɳα Kɯαɱҽ (@NanaKwame_off) April 15, 2024