Ghanaians to pay more for electricity consumption at night

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Rans 10 years ago

So its going to be cheaper when I'm at work and don't need it but expensive when I'm home and need it. Does the NDC government think about our welfare at all? In the UK, it's cheaper in the evenings and weekends when the majo ...
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So its going to be cheaper when I'm at work and don't need it but expensive when I'm home and need it. Does the NDC government think about our welfare at all? In the UK, it's cheaper in the evenings and weekends when the majority of the people need it so why the other way round in Ghana? Is this the so called better Ghana agenda? I'm disappointed
OLD SOLDIER 10 years ago

Author:-Kasapa...
My friend, picture no lie. Or the picture too has been fabricated? This government is the most hopeless one in the annals of this country. How can you boast about your popularity and still be resorting to ...
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Author:-Kasapa...
My friend, picture no lie. Or the picture too has been fabricated? This government is the most hopeless one in the annals of this country. How can you boast about your popularity and still be resorting to these communist-inferior tactics?
Henry 10 years ago

Why is everything in the opposite in Ghana? Everywhere electricity is cheaper at night but in Ghana it is supposed to be otherwise...lneptitude at its highest point.

Why is everything in the opposite in Ghana? Everywhere electricity is cheaper at night but in Ghana it is supposed to be otherwise...lneptitude at its highest point.
Birry Wade 10 years ago

Dr. Kwabena Donkor is stupid. Why didn't he name the countries practicing that kind of regime? Why is he and the others who enjoy free electricity being so insensitive to the plight of Ghanaians? And they keep comparing Ghana ...
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Dr. Kwabena Donkor is stupid. Why didn't he name the countries practicing that kind of regime? Why is he and the others who enjoy free electricity being so insensitive to the plight of Ghanaians? And they keep comparing Ghana to other countries too when they know very well our economies aren't the same. Corruption is not as rife in those countries as we have in ours. Ask Kwabena Donkor to declare his assets and you would realize that he would start giving excuses and hiding some of his assets. Very corrupt people in charge of our country. And we what we call 'The Council of State'. They are a group of selfish people who are lame ducks and cannot speak for the people. Why increase tariffs when the reasons they assigned to the last increases have not been met? Ghanaians have been taken for a ride, and these people handling the affairs of the nation see Ghanaians as fools. I am disappointed in this NDC gov't. At least the Mills-NDC was much better even though I don't belong to any of the political parties over there but at least when I find a policy being good I appreciate it.
siburuku Tifalo 10 years ago

And ur ppl call this Idoit with a Doctrate title! AND After a VERY Hard Day's work at home with ur family He then tells u to pay MORE? WHAT AN INSENSITIVE IDIOT MAN? WHAT A GOVERMENT IS THIS which doesn't care a fig of its ci ...
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And ur ppl call this Idoit with a Doctrate title! AND After a VERY Hard Day's work at home with ur family He then tells u to pay MORE? WHAT AN INSENSITIVE IDIOT MAN? WHAT A GOVERMENT IS THIS which doesn't care a fig of its citizens? WE NEED TO CHASE THESE IDIOTS OUT,AND NOW¨¨!
Kweku 10 years ago

The whole energy problem is politico-profiteering deals between the corrupt NDC government and the energy distributing sector investors. Absolutely a corrupt oligopolistic strategy involving NDC gurus cum corrupt GRIDco, etc ...
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The whole energy problem is politico-profiteering deals between the corrupt NDC government and the energy distributing sector investors. Absolutely a corrupt oligopolistic strategy involving NDC gurus cum corrupt GRIDco, etc investors. Is clearly seen, that distribution operators have deliberately stifled supply of energy in government assisted move just to make super abnormal profits in short term recovery of their investments. With that, the corrupt NDC govt ensures less supply with excuses like no gas, finance, obsolete equipment, etc. Why would government dither in ensuring open opportunities for power generation? Because increase supply in energy business do not make abnormal profits and with that the corrupt NDC government conniving and having investments with other corrupt investors would not make quick and easy money in short-term with their little distribution investment outlays.
kwami 10 years ago

AFTER HE HIT US WITH RATE HIKES HE DEMAND WE VOTE FOR HIM AND HIS NDC GOVT OF LOSERS

AFTER HE HIT US WITH RATE HIKES HE DEMAND WE VOTE FOR HIM AND HIS NDC GOVT OF LOSERS
ed 10 years ago

NORTHENERS CANT LEAD THEY DONT UNDERSTAND ECONOMY THEY BORN FOLLOWERS NOT LEADERS SO NOW WE MUST VOTE MAHAMA OUT OF OFFICE SO HE WONT HURT US AGAIN WITH BIGGER RATE HIKES,HIGER VAT AND MORE TAXES

NORTHENERS CANT LEAD THEY DONT UNDERSTAND ECONOMY THEY BORN FOLLOWERS NOT LEADERS SO NOW WE MUST VOTE MAHAMA OUT OF OFFICE SO HE WONT HURT US AGAIN WITH BIGGER RATE HIKES,HIGER VAT AND MORE TAXES
when 10 years ago

AS A RESULT OF YOUR INABILITY TO SOLVE DUMSOR. YOU WANT TO TELL GHANAIANS THEY SHOULD RATHER PREFER THE DUMSOR BECAUSE WHEN THERE IS LIGHT THEY WILL PAY MORE. MASA WE NEED THE LIGHT STUPID FOOOOOL

AS A RESULT OF YOUR INABILITY TO SOLVE DUMSOR. YOU WANT TO TELL GHANAIANS THEY SHOULD RATHER PREFER THE DUMSOR BECAUSE WHEN THERE IS LIGHT THEY WILL PAY MORE. MASA WE NEED THE LIGHT STUPID FOOOOOL
when 10 years ago

AS A RESULT OF YOUR INABILITY TO SOLVE DUMSOR. YOU WANT TO TELL GHANAIANS THEY SHOULD RATHER PREFER THE DUMSOR BECAUSE WHEN THERE IS LIGHT THEY WILL PAY MORE. MASA WE NEED THE LIGHT STUPID FOOOOOL.KWASIA BI NTI THERE IS NO LI ...
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AS A RESULT OF YOUR INABILITY TO SOLVE DUMSOR. YOU WANT TO TELL GHANAIANS THEY SHOULD RATHER PREFER THE DUMSOR BECAUSE WHEN THERE IS LIGHT THEY WILL PAY MORE. MASA WE NEED THE LIGHT STUPID FOOOOOL.KWASIA BI NTI THERE IS NO LIGHT.
Kwabena Owusu, texas u.s.a 10 years ago

you gat it right gentleman. how many people actually stay at home during the day time. ghana will become a ghost city at night. this guy is asking for more crimes at night by handing over the night to armed robbers at ease. ...
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you gat it right gentleman. how many people actually stay at home during the day time. ghana will become a ghost city at night. this guy is asking for more crimes at night by handing over the night to armed robbers at ease. what they are saying is go to bed at 6pm. and allow gangstas to roam the streets with no resistance. What's parliament saying about this? insensitive Kwabena Donkor. when was the last time you pay your energy bills? Parliamentarians and Ministers should also be made to pay for their fuel and energy bills so that they will also incur what the ordinary citizens are going through and reduce the government expenditure on our public debt. i will not call Kwabena stupid but a Doctor with an empty skull.
Kwabena Owusu, texas u.s.a 10 years ago

i smell this guys are being crafty. this might be another way of passing on those huge Public energy debts of the various ministries to to the consumers. think deep guys!

i smell this guys are being crafty. this might be another way of passing on those huge Public energy debts of the various ministries to to the consumers. think deep guys!
Ndu 10 years ago

Its like a cellphone promotion cheap when u r sleeping expensive when u wake up

Its like a cellphone promotion cheap when u r sleeping expensive when u wake up
Prof Lungu 10 years ago

The incompetent corrupt Mahama is only interested in power but not to preside over the governance of Ghana.

The incompetent corrupt Mahama is only interested in power but not to preside over the governance of Ghana.
Dr. Michael J.K. Bokor 10 years ago

Blame the corrupt people surrounding Mahama, they are making the president look incompetent.

Blame the corrupt people surrounding Mahama, they are making the president look incompetent.
Ben 10 years ago

If you are a coach and your team is not performing who do we blame? Incompetent Mahatma. Period.

If you are a coach and your team is not performing who do we blame? Incompetent Mahatma. Period.
OBAA YAA 10 years ago

Are you really a doctor? Where did you receive your degree? With an analysis like this from you please, tell me so I will not encourage anybody to attend the institution where you obtained this doctor degree.

Have you not ...
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Are you really a doctor? Where did you receive your degree? With an analysis like this from you please, tell me so I will not encourage anybody to attend the institution where you obtained this doctor degree.

Have you not realize that leaders take credit when performance of their subject yields a good result?

Presidents do not go to the battlefield to fight a war but they claim victory when a battle is won because of their decisions and planning. Likewise, when a battle is lost they are blamed because of their indecision or lack of planning.

Why should those surrounded by the president be blame for the president inactions? Who appoints those people? And don’t the president the gut to supervise those he chosen to surround himself with.

Putting the blame of the president ineffectiveness on the heads of those he has surrounded himself with is a most stupid statement I have ever read from someone who called himself doctor.
DusTY-FooT-pHiloSophER 10 years ago

Both Prof Lungu and Dr. Michael J.K. Bokor you are responding to in here are not the original two that we know. So, chill.

Both Prof Lungu and Dr. Michael J.K. Bokor you are responding to in here are not the original two that we know. So, chill.
wofa 10 years ago

Is it encourage consumption or discourage consumption, correct that paragraph

Is it encourage consumption or discourage consumption, correct that paragraph
Teacher under Tree 10 years ago

Given the cerebral challenges he faces, the Right Hon Dumsor Donkor is quite capable of saying the opposite of what he means.

Given the cerebral challenges he faces, the Right Hon Dumsor Donkor is quite capable of saying the opposite of what he means.
THE MAN FROM HO 10 years ago

Ghana's Minister of Power signed deal with a man from Oslo wanted for fraud and organized crime. The deal is worth 510 million dollars.

Ghana's minister of power does not even bother to lift his eyes when two journal ...
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Ghana's Minister of Power signed deal with a man from Oslo wanted for fraud and organized crime. The deal is worth 510 million dollars.

Ghana's minister of power does not even bother to lift his eyes when two journalists from the Norwegian newspaper Verdens Gang (VG) enter his huge office at the government quarter in the capital city of Accra.

His desk is covered with large stacks of document that are strewn in front of him. Kwabena Donkor has one cell phone on top of a stack of papers, while a second phone is charging on the windowsill.

It is September 9th, and Donkor is a very busy politician: A crippling energy crisis is playing havoc with Ghana, and it is the minister's job to solve the problem.

Donkor confirmed to VG that the government of Ghana had acquired ten gas turbines from a company called Ameri Group. The minister had signed the contract seven months earlier, which may be the best transaction ever for the mystical Dubai-based company he did his business with.

VG showed the minister a photo of a wanted man; a Pakistani Norwegian named Umar Farooq Zahoor (40). The 40-year-old man from Oslo is wanted by Norwegian and Swiss police for spectacular acts of fraud committed the last ten years.

VG showed the minister a picture, and he pointed to the Pakistani Norwegian right away. He knows him as the head of the Ameri Group.

– I know him; he is the Chief executive of Ameri Group, Donkor says.

Then we show the minister a picture of the man who co-signed the agreement with Umar Farooq Zahoor, a prince from the ruling family in Dubai. The minister has no doubts:

– The sheikh, his royal highness. They both work for Ameri Group, he said.

VG investigated what happened after the wanted man from Norway and the prince from Dubai acquired ten gas turbines for Ghana for 510 million US dollars.

VG’s investigations show that these turbines usually sell for 220 million dollars.

So why did the West African country pay 290 million dollars more than the standard price?

Mohammed Amin Adam, the director of a Ghanaian think tank called Africa Centre for Energy Policy, is highly sceptical.

– If you can help us find out who these people at Ameri Group are we would certainly pursue the case here, he told VG when we met him at his office in Accra.

VG has been following Ameri Group’s tracks for seven months on several continents. The full name of Ameri Group is Africa and Middle East Resources Investment Group.

According to the company website, the company works to develop, co-own and operate power plants in different parts of the world.

The company has apparently achieved spectacular success in a very short period of time. Their website was created two months before the multi-million dollar contract was signed with the government of Ghana.

It's pitch dark in one of Accra’s poorest neighbourhoods, Nima. The sun has set for today, and the electricity is gone. Power can disappear for 24 hours at a time in this impoverished neighbourhood.

Everything goes black, every day, more and more often and for longer periods of time. The energy crisis is very debilitating for the country.

In 2014 alone, Ghana lost over two billion dollars due to the national power crisis, according to a report from Ghana's largest university.

The residents of the neighbourhood told VG just how desperate the situation really was: Electrical systems are damaged, food stored in freezers rots and businesses go bankrupt.

The crisis got so bad last year that the president of Ghana handpicked someone to solve the problem: Dr Kwabena Donkor.

Donkor signed the agreement with Ameri Group six weeks later on the 10th of February this year.

Ameri Group would provide Ghana with ten gas turbines. This procurement would help solve the energy crisis.

The contract was signed by the minister of power and another prominent representative of Ghanaian authorities, Assistant Attorney General and Minister of Justice Dominic Ayine.

VG got its hands on a copy of the agreement, which is 49 pages long. The director who signed for the company in Dubai is now a well-known name among investigators at the Financial Crime Section of the Oslo Police District: Pakistani Norwegian Umar Farooq Zahoor.

As early as 2013, Deputy Chief of Police for Oslo Gro Smogeli singled out Zahoor as a ringleader of one of Norway's boldest and biggest bank frauds ever; the so-called Nordea Swindle.

VG announced today that Farooq Zahoor is also wanted internationally by Norwegian police and Interpol for his leading role in this scam.

The Borgarting Court of Appeal announced its unanimous verdict on 26 November confirming reasonable grounds to suspect the 40-year-old of fraud, as part of organized criminal activity subject to Norway’s mafia activities paragraph.

The Pakistani Norwegian is also wanted for running a fake bank in Switzerland.

Umar Farooq Zahoor portrays himself as a busy and prosperous businessman. His base of operations the past nine years has been the United Arab Emirate of Dubai. He has been living here in a luxurious mansion in one of Dubai’s most fashionable neighbourhoods, as new luxury cars appear in his garage from time to time.

His story began in 1971 when Umar Farooq Zahoor’s father left a small village in Pakistan to try his luck in Europe. He ended up in Oslo. He set up the first immigrant store in the neighbourhood of Grønland, Oslo, together with his wife who joined him in Norway some years later.

20 years later the family owned 5 stores in the same neighbourhood. They sold food, clothing, gold items and ran a travel agency.

The couple had 15 children. Umar was the second oldest son. As the parents ran their businesses, many of their sons learned to be criminals.

Umar was sentenced to one year in prison in 2003 for embezzling airline tickets from his family’s travel agency. The Oslo District Court stated that he had shown clear criminal intent, and that his actions were thoroughly planned and had a professional touch.

Umar Farooq Zahoor did not appear in court. Before the trial the judge had received a letter from the accused asking for a postponement in the case. In the letter, the man from Oslo told the court he was in the midst of business negotiations with bank connections in Switzerland.

Later on the police discovered that he was in full swing at the time with a new and spectacular crime. He had rented office space with a New Zealander in Zürich’s best business, at which they hung up a gilded sign that read Bank.

What customers thought was a real bank would drain its victims for a combined loss of 20 million dollars.

Farooq Zahoor’s business partner was sentenced to three years and six months in prison for this super scam. During his trial, Zahoor’s partner told the Zurich District Court that starting a fake bank was his Farooq Zahoors partner’s idea.

By the time the Swiss police headed off to arrest the Farooq Zahoor he had already moved to his father's country of origin.

Some years later the man from Oslo was on the run again, this time heading for Dubai, where he began his dubious affairs again.

Together with a band of fraudsters he managed to empty the Nordea bank account of a very wealthy widow over the course of 13 days in the summer of 2010. He recieved help from an employee at the bank's branch office in Oslo to withdraw 10 million dollars.

6 million dollars were transferred to two accounts that belonged to a Norwegian businesswoman who lived in Dubai named Sonia Rashid.

On the 25 th of June 2013, nearly three years after this record-breaking fraud, Sonia Rashid admitted to VG that she had withdrawn this money in cash.

She said she gave the millions to Umar Farooq Zahoor.

“Umar was with me when I withdrew the money. He sat in the car while I drove from bank to bank. I went inside the banks and withdrew money that had been transferred to my accounts in Dubai. I gave him the money when I got in the car”, Rashid said.

Despite extensive media coverage in recent years, Zahoor continued to work for major financial institutions in Norway. He has worked the last six years as a consultant for a Norwegian company called NBT ASA, which develops wind power projects in China and in the Karachi area of Pakistan.

The three largest owners of NBT ASA are the corporate finance company Arctic Securities, billionaire Lars Nilsen via his investment company and Kjell Inge Røkke’s Aker Capital AS.

17 September this year: The Greek EPC contractor and industrial group METKA issued a press release from its headquarters in Athens. The company specialises in major energy, infrastructure and defence projects has good news:

They have secured the first major contract in Sub-Saharan Africa. The entrepreneurial giant had opened an office in Ghana's capital city only a few weeks earlier.
Kweku 10 years ago

Done deal between President Mahama and NDC gurus to swindle Ghana, that's part of the reasons Mahama made uncountable trips to Dubai, UAE.

Done deal between President Mahama and NDC gurus to swindle Ghana, that's part of the reasons Mahama made uncountable trips to Dubai, UAE.
APONKYE 10 years ago

People should not be so cynical and complain about everything. If you think hard you will identify many benefits from the dumsor, far more than its bad sides.
1) now I eat fresh food everyday. No more heating and reheating s ...
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People should not be so cynical and complain about everything. If you think hard you will identify many benefits from the dumsor, far more than its bad sides.
1) now I eat fresh food everyday. No more heating and reheating soup or stew.
2) I'm forced to be at home, so no temptation to go after the husband-snatchers.
3) my main entertainment is having sex with my wife. No moregoing out or the wife watching stupid films for hours on end. As a result we have had 2 baby boys in three years and expecting a third next February.
3) what many people are forgetting is the markedly reduced electricity bill! My bill is now a third of waht it should have been. Is that not putting money back into my pocket?

Yet NPP wants us to see everything negative? If you follow NPP you will end up being ungrateful to God for all His grace
Ben 10 years ago

Rubbish. See what you dey talk.

Rubbish. See what you dey talk.
Kojo 10 years ago

I think u can still enjoy ur advantages by disconnecting the electricity in ur house or re plan ur life well. Cos Ghanaians needs their light back.

I think u can still enjoy ur advantages by disconnecting the electricity in ur house or re plan ur life well. Cos Ghanaians needs their light back.
OFOSUAA 10 years ago

hahahahaaaaa heheheeeee.....Ndc voters and leadership think support for a political party simply means DO-ME-I-DO-YOU...But this is sheer stupidity of the highest level bcos its Ghana that ends up the loser and our kids who e ...
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hahahahaaaaa heheheeeee.....Ndc voters and leadership think support for a political party simply means DO-ME-I-DO-YOU...But this is sheer stupidity of the highest level bcos its Ghana that ends up the loser and our kids who even end up the worst losers bcos we are totally destroying their future.......after failing to prove alleged npp malfeasance since ndc assumed power, all ndc has been doing is to use these allegation as basis to embark on serious thievery upon thievery with cronies and family members duping the state and destroying our economy the present state where one dollar which used to be 1.12 ghc in 2008 is now miserably one dollar to 4.0 ghc.....and all this while ndc has managed to throw dust into people’s eyes by claiming the ghc is weak bcos of imports exceeding exports.....such a preposterous reason, very very very preposterous indeed.......and the situation is worsened by their voters in the north and volta who are so so so poor and yet so so so gullible who continue to trust in ndc despite clear cases of thievery and plundering of state resource thro avenues like SADA SUBAH, GYEEDA AZUNTABA, RLG-NDC-ZOOMLION-COLLUSION to destroy our economy just to line their pockets with the stolen cash and live good abroad with their families.....it will only take a people with very evil minds to dole out over one billion dollars in dubious jdgt detbs to friends and cronies in order to share the loot EVEN THO THE VERY STRONGHOLDS OF NDC CONTINUE TO BE SO EXCRUCIATINGLY POOR ..........SO POOR THAT THEY ENGAGE IN VIRTUAL SLAVERY RIGHT HERE IN THEIR OWN COUNTRY AS KAYAYES AND TROKOSIS and we are shown daily videos of their kids lying on their tummies in poor dilapidated schools to learn and write simply bcos of lack of furniture........ndc govt overspent state budget by 8.7 bn ghc in 2012 just for mahama to win elections, and this was the last straw which broke the camel’s back as our ghc declined and has kept on declining ever since then...........bloated contract budgets and sole contracts awards have now become a channel to pay out outrageous amounts to cronies just for ndc to later share the loot...........huge monies dubiously paid to rlg, zoomlion, for no work done etc are yet to be retrieved without interest despite the continued destruction and weakening of our economy......DESPITE ALL THESE, WE STILL HAVE NDC PROUDLY PREDICTING A ONE TOUCH WIN FOR NDC in the 2016 elections...........and their gullible miserable strongholds are seen daily endorsing this criminal gang of thieves who didn’t even have an office till they came to power in 2008 and built a 20 million dollars mansion for a headoffice after duping the state big time thro fake jdgt debts........THE SUFFERING CONTINUES TILL GHANA HAS LEARNT ITS BITTER LESSONS THAT SUPPORTING POLITICAL PARTIES ISNT LIKE SUPPORTING HEARTS OR KOTOKO OR OLYMPICS WHETHER THEY WIN OR LOSE......we support parties to build a nation and ensure security and improve living standards for us all BUT NOT TO COME AND STEAL AND STEAL AND STEAL LIKE NDC IS DOING NOW....NOW DUMSOR IS OUR PORTION BCOS OF NDC THIEVERY..........ide biiiiii kekekekekekekeeeee........
Abigi 10 years ago

Hello you are backward and far behind in time. In the Gold Coast Era where you use the same wrist watch for 10 years, your ideas would have been ideal. However, in the 21st century your ideas are antiqueted,silly and dead. Ho ...
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Hello you are backward and far behind in time. In the Gold Coast Era where you use the same wrist watch for 10 years, your ideas would have been ideal. However, in the 21st century your ideas are antiqueted,silly and dead. How do I check on my stocks and bonds? How do I connect with my business associates? How do I attend lectures online? You are thinking like
someone who should be dead by now.
Akuvie 10 years ago

Hahahahahhaaaa. Me too.

Hahahahahhaaaa. Me too.
THE MAN FROM HO 10 years ago

An idiot's content is usually based upon retrogressive satire. This is an obvious example of the untrained mind for progress. To him the dark ages have their merits. The unfortunate answer to his defense is : Ghanaians view t ...
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An idiot's content is usually based upon retrogressive satire. This is an obvious example of the untrained mind for progress. To him the dark ages have their merits. The unfortunate answer to his defense is : Ghanaians view the government as nonprogressively lacking knowledge to push us forward and we dont enjoy remaining in the dark with all its riduculous advantages. Get a grip !
Mr. No Nonsense 10 years ago

Aponkye you are really aponkye, abrekyire. Do you think ghanaians are fools. Mahama and co will ever use you as sponkye to prepare their meal. You don't think of suffering of the masses. You only think of today but not tomorr ...
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Aponkye you are really aponkye, abrekyire. Do you think ghanaians are fools. Mahama and co will ever use you as sponkye to prepare their meal. You don't think of suffering of the masses. You only think of today but not tomorrow. You are really aponkye. That name fit you
Abeiku 10 years ago

Appnkye,Aponkye,Aponkye...How many times did I call you?You are far behind civilisation and am not surprise because there are lot of people in the country who also think like you.
Come out of your shell because technology is ...
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Appnkye,Aponkye,Aponkye...How many times did I call you?You are far behind civilisation and am not surprise because there are lot of people in the country who also think like you.
Come out of your shell because technology is changing the world and no one will wait for you.
Yiu are making your life too predicterble.
Dorcas Kpando 10 years ago

This man is mad.give us the light and we will pay fool.The name Donkor shows he can't do the work

This man is mad.give us the light and we will pay fool.The name Donkor shows he can't do the work
THE MAN FROM HO 10 years ago

METKA is owned by one of the richest dynasties in Greece, the Mytilineos family. According to the press release, the industrial giant had acquired a new partner: Ameri Group.

The Greek corporation informed that its wholly ...
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METKA is owned by one of the richest dynasties in Greece, the Mytilineos family. According to the press release, the industrial giant had acquired a new partner: Ameri Group.

The Greek corporation informed that its wholly-owned Turkish subsidiary will be providing Ghana with ten brand new gas turbines manufactured by General Electric (GE). In addition to that, the Greeks will be responsible for operation and maintenance of the turbines.

The press release said this is a five-year agreement with the government of Ghana and METKA’s partners in the agreement, Ameri Group.

METKA said their share of the deal exeeds 350 million dollars. This sum is up to 160 million dollars less than the 510 million that Ghana will be paying Ameri for the turbines.

Nobody yet knows who got their hands on this money.

VG has posed several questions to METKA. The company's spokesperson Elli Gardiki replied in an email, saying they cannot speak about the details of this agreement, referring to the press release from September.

– The projects we carry out are complex technical projects, and as such each one is by no means identical. Each project varies significantly depending on many factors, such as overall project scope, delivery time, site and others. No project and no contract is identical and simplified comparisons can lead to wrong conclusions, she stated.

Ameri Energy was presented in the press release from September as part of energy investments made by His Royal Highness Sheikh Ahmed Bin Dalmook Al Maktoum, a member of the ruling family in Dubai.

The press release also stated that the project was made possible with active support from General Electric (GE) in the United States.

GE would not comment on what active support means, VG was told by Communication Manager Ivar Simensen at General Electric Norway.

“METKA will respond to its own press releases”, GE's communication manager said.

GE's spokesperson would not comment on whether they sold gas turbines to the Ameri Group, or what price the turbines were sold for.

Dubai's largest traffic artery is the Sheikh Zayed Road. Its 16 lanes cut right through the city and continue west toward Abu Dhabi.

On the right side of the highway, not far from the Burj Khalifa Skyscraper, lies a weatherworn five-storey building. The Emgate Building consists of business offices and apartments. Until recently one could visit a streetside used car store named Deals on Wheels.

This is where the Ameri Group supposedly has its headquarters. The contract and the company’s websites give this as their main office.

VG has been in contact with the employees of a medical center in the same building. They have never heard of the company.

Ameri Group had not posted its name on the signboard of tenants in the building four months after the contract was signed.

Umar Farooq Zahoor signed the multi-million dollar contract in Ghana together with Prince of Dubai Sheikh Ahmed Bin Dalmook Al Maktoum. The Arabian prince is named and mentioned frequently in Ameri’s websites. The 40-year-old Pakistani Norwegian is not mentioned anywhere.

Ameri Group’s website states that the company’s affairs are based on trust, integrity and transparency. We are a very ethical corporation and are proud of our work, it states.

The multi-million dollar contract was signed in the greatest secrecy. There were no members of the press present when the contract was entered into. Until now, the name of the person who represented the company was a well-kept secret.

Ameri Group’s website also lists the prince as chairman of the board. The website also maintains that the prince travels to poor countries in the third world and participates in development projects to provide energy solutions for electricity, water and better infrastructure for the inhabitants of those countries.

According to the Ameri Group, the prince’s motto is: a better world for the less fortunate.
OFOSUAA 10 years ago

THIS IS WHY WE WILL KEEP VOTING FOR JOHN MAHAMA BY ALL MEANS...Ndc voters and leadership think support for a political party simply means DO-ME-I-DO-YOU...But this is sheer stupidity of the highest level bcos its Ghana that e ...
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THIS IS WHY WE WILL KEEP VOTING FOR JOHN MAHAMA BY ALL MEANS...Ndc voters and leadership think support for a political party simply means DO-ME-I-DO-YOU...But this is sheer stupidity of the highest level bcos its Ghana that ends up the loser and our kids who even end up the worst losers bcos we are totally destroying their future.......after failing to prove alleged npp malfeasance since ndc assumed power, all ndc has been doing is to use these allegation as basis to embark on serious thievery upon thievery with cronies and family members duping the state and destroying our economy the present state where one dollar which used to be 1.12 ghc in 2008 is now miserably one dollar to 4.0 ghc.....and all this while ndc has managed to throw dust into people’s eyes by claiming the ghc is weak bcos of imports exceeding exports.....such a preposterous reason, very very very preposterous indeed.......and the situation is worsened by their voters in the north and volta who are so so so poor and yet so so so gullible who continue to trust in ndc despite clear cases of thievery and plundering of state resource thro avenues like SADA SUBAH, GYEEDA AZUNTABA, RLG-NDC-ZOOMLION-COLLUSION to destroy our economy just to line their pockets with the stolen cash and live good abroad with their families.....it will only take a people with very evil minds to dole out over one billion dollars in dubious jdgt detbs to friends and cronies in order to share the loot EVEN THO THE VERY STRONGHOLDS OF NDC CONTINUE TO BE SO EXCRUCIATINGLY POOR ..........SO POOR THAT THEY ENGAGE IN VIRTUAL SLAVERY RIGHT HERE IN THEIR OWN COUNTRY AS KAYAYES AND TROKOSIS and we are shown daily videos of their kids lying on their tummies in poor dilapidated schools to learn and write simply bcos of lack of furniture........ndc govt overspent state budget by 8.7 bn ghc in 2012 just for mahama to win elections, and this was the last straw which broke the camel’s back as our ghc declined and has kept on declining ever since then...........bloated contract budgets and sole contracts awards have now become a channel to pay out outrageous amounts to cronies just for ndc to later share the loot...........huge monies dubiously paid to rlg, zoomlion, for no work done etc are yet to be retrieved without interest despite the continued destruction and weakening of our economy......DESPITE ALL THESE, WE STILL HAVE NDC PROUDLY PREDICTING A ONE TOUCH WIN FOR NDC in the 2016 elections...........and their gullible miserable strongholds are seen daily endorsing this criminal gang of thieves who didn’t even have an office till they came to power in 2008 and built a 20 million dollars mansion for a headoffice after duping the state big time thro fake jdgt debts........THE SUFFERING CONTINUES TILL GHANA HAS LEARNT ITS BITTER LESSONS THAT SUPPORTING POLITICAL PARTIES ISNT LIKE SUPPORTING HEARTS OR KOTOKO OR OLYMPICS WHETHER THEY WIN OR LOSE......we support parties to build a nation and ensure security and improve living standards for us all BUT NOT TO COME AND STEAL AND STEAL AND STEAL LIKE NDC IS DOING NOW....NOW DUMSOR IS OUR PORTION BCOS OF NDC THIEVERY..........ide biiiiii kekekekekekekeeeee........
Tetteh 10 years ago

In fact this government has taken Ghanaians for granted. Who forced them to power?

In fact this government has taken Ghanaians for granted. Who forced them to power?
md 10 years ago

we will connect illegally from 6pm to11pm. period

we will connect illegally from 6pm to11pm. period
omanba 10 years ago

This minister is truly the enemy of the poor majority in Ghana.He has not got any sympathy for ghanaians who are oveburdened with unemployment poor salaries.He is a proxy for international capitalists and neo-liberalists.Wh ...
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This minister is truly the enemy of the poor majority in Ghana.He has not got any sympathy for ghanaians who are oveburdened with unemployment poor salaries.He is a proxy for international capitalists and neo-liberalists.What does he mean by ghanaians misusing electricity?
THE MAN FROM HO 10 years ago

Director Mohammed Amin Adam of the think tank Africa Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP) does not believe this agreement will make the world a better place.

On the contrary, he is very critical to the agreement between the Gh ...
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Director Mohammed Amin Adam of the think tank Africa Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP) does not believe this agreement will make the world a better place.

On the contrary, he is very critical to the agreement between the Ghanaian government and Ameri Group.

According to the agreement, Ghana will lease the ten gas turbines for five years. After that, Ghana becomes owner of the turbines after paying an equipment cost of 510 million dollars.

– That same equipment could have been purchased for 220 million dollars. The Ghanaian authorities would have saved 290 million dollars, said Amin Adam.

– Why did the authorities decide to trust Ameri Group?

– It makes no sense economically. We think someone is making money on of this deal, but we do not have any evidence yet, the head of the think tank said.

In addition to an equipment price of 510 million dollars, Ghana will pay variable costs of 16 million dollars annually, according to a report from the National Assembly of Ghana. Ghana will also need to pay for the gas to power the ten turbines.

According to the agreement the ten gas turbines are type TM2500+, often referred to as a power plant on wheels.

VG’s investigations show that the standard price for these turbines is about 20 million dollars. Last summer, GE sold eight identical turbines to Sonelgaz, the state energy company in Algeria, for 161 million dollars.

Professor Olav Bolland is one of Norway's foremost experts on gas power plants.

– This is one of the world's most popular turbines, if not the most common, he said.

– A simple internet search indicates that they sell for about 22 million dollars each. That seems to be a reasonable price if you ask me based on my previous experience pricing power plants.

He leads the Institute of Energy and Process Engineering at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU).

The agreement was sent to the National Assembly for approval after the government had signed the agreement with Ameri Group.

The minister's delegation reported to Ghanaian elected representatives that a direct purchase of the ten turbines would cost 411 million dollars. This amount is almost double the standard price for such turbines on the world market.

A crucial reason for choosing Ameri Group, was that the company could deliver the turbines quickly, while it would take nine months or a year for GE to manufacture ten turbines, the minister said.

But it was not until late October (eight months after the agreement was signed) that the turbines were unloaded at the Port of Accra.

From there they were transported to a power station in the west, where they are now being connected to the power grid and soon ready to produce electricity.

The minister of power have argued to VG that he did nothing wrong when he signed the agreement with the mysterious company:

– I would not get involved in anything that is not good for Ghana, he said.

VG made a number of attempts to get Umar Farooq Zahoor, the prince and Ameri Group to explain why Ghana had to pay such an enormous price. Neither the prince nor the wanted Oslo man have responded to VG’s enquiries.

After sending an email to the address listed on the company’s website, someone named Kate spoke on behalf of Ameri Group saying:

– Mr Umar stopped working for our company a few months ago to pursue bigger business opportunities.

The mysterious company does not want to answer VG’s question:

– We are a privately held company in Dubai that does business all over the world, also in Ghana. We see no reason to answer any of your questions. We do not understand why a Norwegian newspaper would be interested in what we do, she writes.

Not many inhabitants of the Accra slum care anymore.

“They are all corrupt thieves!”

Head of the neighbourhood council, Aziz Haruna, is furious over his countries politicians.

It's six o'clock in the evening and power in the city's most densely-populated neighbourhood has just gone.

Like so many others in this neighbourhood, Haruna has lost faith in politics and politicians. He waves his arms and says:

– Our politicians are stealing our country's resources. If you want to be rich in Ghana, you need to become a politician.
Fanti Man 10 years ago

Look at this idiot. Why don't you focus on fixing the power supply first before looking at tarrifa ..

Look at this idiot. Why don't you focus on fixing the power supply first before looking at tarrifa ..
Akuvie 10 years ago

Ghanaians have to stay in darkness to save on their light bills. Solution is to get a solar if you can afford one

Ghanaians have to stay in darkness to save on their light bills. Solution is to get a solar if you can afford one
THE MAN FROM HO 10 years ago

The men behind the deal

Wanted Norwegian-PakistaniUmar Farooq Zahoor

The police in Oslo has put the 40 year old as one of the main men behind one of the biggest bank frauds in Norway. Umar Farooq Zahoor has also been ...
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The men behind the deal

Wanted Norwegian-PakistaniUmar Farooq Zahoor

The police in Oslo has put the 40 year old as one of the main men behind one of the biggest bank frauds in Norway. Umar Farooq Zahoor has also been wanted by Swiss police for several years, after establishing a false bank. Umar Farooq Zahoor claims to be a busy and affluent businessman. He has been based in Dubai for the last nine years

Prince from DubaiShaikh Ahmed Bin Dalmook Al Maktoum

Umar Farooq Zahoor signed the 500 million dollar contract in Ghana together with a prince from Dubai: Shaikh Ahmed Bin Dalmook Al Maktoum.

The name of the arabic prince is listed and featured on Ameri Group's website, while Umar Farooq Zahoor is not mentioned anywhere. According to Ameri Group, the prince lives by the motto: A better world for the less fortunate

Dr. Kwabena Donkor was appointed as minister for energy and petroleum in Ghana 18.december 2014. He signed the 500 million dollar deal with Ameri Group on behalf of the Ghanesian government. The minister signed the deal together with the deputy Attorney General Dominic Ayine.

Dr. Kwabena Donkor confirms to VG that he has met Umar Farooq Zahoor and the prince of Dubai. Donkor promised to leave the office after one year if he did not solve the energy crisis in Ghana.
vampire 10 years ago

Wicked man

Wicked man
Ambassador 10 years ago

Aboard minister

Aboard minister
nii 10 years ago

pls the power minister said his ministry might be considering having different tarriff charged for different period. he didnt say he was advocating for that. bad journalism

pls the power minister said his ministry might be considering having different tarriff charged for different period. he didnt say he was advocating for that. bad journalism
Kwabena Owusu, texas u.s.a 10 years ago

well said my good friend, this is how it all starts then it is introduced, watch it!

well said my good friend, this is how it all starts then it is introduced, watch it!
Taniba 10 years ago

Useless and is all useless and incompetent

Useless and is all useless and incompetent
KOFI 10 years ago

FOR LONG/SHORT RENT: 2 & 1 BEDROOMS WITH A/C.,SATELLITE/CABLE TV LINKS,POP CEILING WITH FANS,SLIDING OPAQUE GLASS WINDOWS ETC. IN TANTRA HILLS :

PLEASE CALL: 026 471 6238

FOR LONG/SHORT RENT: 2 & 1 BEDROOMS WITH A/C.,SATELLITE/CABLE TV LINKS,POP CEILING WITH FANS,SLIDING OPAQUE GLASS WINDOWS ETC. IN TANTRA HILLS :

PLEASE CALL: 026 471 6238
Sad 10 years ago

Why are punishing Ghanaians like that.

Why are punishing Ghanaians like that.
nii 10 years ago

how can we pay more rather at night if it is not the peak period. wrong heading.

how can we pay more rather at night if it is not the peak period. wrong heading.
Kokofu Mahama 10 years ago

Ghana's Minister of Power signed deal with a man from Oslo wanted for fraud and organized crime. The deal is worth 510 million dollars.

Ghana's Minister of Power signed deal with a man from Oslo wanted for fraud and organized crime. The deal is worth 510 million dollars.
George Nutsugah 10 years ago

When we are at work and nobody is using the power then the tariff is low but when we are at home to use the power then the tariff is higher. Wicked and incompetent NDC government. Shame

When we are at work and nobody is using the power then the tariff is low but when we are at home to use the power then the tariff is higher. Wicked and incompetent NDC government. Shame
Me 10 years ago

I doubt if this news is accurate.. I listened to him nd if ma memory serves me ryt: he said it will be cheaper at nyt, i.e off peak periods...

I doubt if this news is accurate.. I listened to him nd if ma memory serves me ryt: he said it will be cheaper at nyt, i.e off peak periods...
Kweku Tutu 10 years ago

Ghana paid double price for gas turbines from the Amer group is revealed by two investigative journalists from the Norwegian newspaper Verdens Gang (VG) That is 250 million dollars down the drain.
VG showed the minister a p ...
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Ghana paid double price for gas turbines from the Amer group is revealed by two investigative journalists from the Norwegian newspaper Verdens Gang (VG) That is 250 million dollars down the drain.
VG showed the minister a photo of a wanted man; a Pakistani Norwegian named Umar Farooq Zahoor (40). The 40-year-old man from Oslo is wanted by Norwegian and Swiss police for spectacular acts of fraud committed the last ten years.
VG showed the minister a picture, and he pointed to the Pakistani Norwegian right away. He knows him as the head of the Ameri Group.
– I know him; he is the Chief executive of Ameri Group, Donkor says.
me 10 years ago

Now the illegal connection will kick Inn...I feel like they don't think through it...or it might be one man option

Now the illegal connection will kick Inn...I feel like they don't think through it...or it might be one man option
Ras 10 years ago

Retrieved Ghc200 million
Bull shit
Another few circus and you could have PURCHASED a power barge and save the country $US 800 million over the 10 years plus $US 175 million in extra monies to be paid for fuel that Turkish ...
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Retrieved Ghc200 million
Bull shit
Another few circus and you could have PURCHASED a power barge and save the country $US 800 million over the 10 years plus $US 175 million in extra monies to be paid for fuel that Turkish will make extra when buying fuel and recharging government.
Anyone care? .
Ras 10 years ago

Ghana signs desks with fraudsters

Add www. To front of link

vg.no/nyheter/innenriks/ghana-s-minister-of-power-signed-deal-with-a-man-from-oslo-wanted-for-fraud-and-organized-crime-the-deal-is-worth-510-million-dollars/ ...
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Ghana signs desks with fraudsters

Add www. To front of link

vg.no/nyheter/innenriks/ghana-s-minister-of-power-signed-deal-with-a-man-from-oslo-wanted-for-fraud-and-organized-crime-the-deal-is-worth-510-million-dollars/a/23577965/
truth 10 years ago

i dont blame you. The president is the biggest fool to keep you at your job. Ghanaians are been taken for granted. Mahama must go too

i dont blame you. The president is the biggest fool to keep you at your job. Ghanaians are been taken for granted. Mahama must go too
dukeD 10 years ago

CALLING THEMSELVES POLITIFIANS

put www to front of this link vg.no/nyheter/innenriks/ghana-s-minister-of-power-signed-deal-with-a-man-from-oslo-wanted-for-fraud-and-organized-crime-the-deal-is-worth-510-million-dollars/a ...
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CALLING THEMSELVES POLITIFIANS

put www to front of this link vg.no/nyheter/innenriks/ghana-s-minister-of-power-signed-deal-with-a-man-from-oslo-wanted-for-fraud-and-organized-crime-the-deal-is-worth-510-million-dollars/a/23577965/
Foreigner 10 years ago

Yes, this is used in more sofisticated countries. It's a smart way to charge since the electricity producing network build its capacity for peak periods. By charging higher for peak times, consumers, where possible, will m ...
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Yes, this is used in more sofisticated countries. It's a smart way to charge since the electricity producing network build its capacity for peak periods. By charging higher for peak times, consumers, where possible, will modify their behaviour. They won't put on a washing machine during this time.

However, there is SO MUCH OTHER THINGS TO DO FIRST. Put resources towards making it almost impossible to do illegal connections. Track and trace illegal connections. Get the government (and others) to pay their bills.
CHINOOK 10 years ago

Useless people forming Cabinet in this NDC Government. Where did this man get his PHD from? He is as useless as Class One pupil.

Useless people forming Cabinet in this NDC Government. Where did this man get his PHD from? He is as useless as Class One pupil.
BOUBABA 10 years ago

IF MAHAMA DOES NOT FIRE THIS GUY, NDC IS DOOMED. DUMSOR IS STILL THERE SO WHY IS THIS GUY AT POST WE WILL SEE COME DECEMBER 31 IF MAHAMA WILL TAKE ACTION AGAINST THIS CROOKED INCOMPETENT MINISTER.

IF MAHAMA DOES NOT FIRE THIS GUY, NDC IS DOOMED. DUMSOR IS STILL THERE SO WHY IS THIS GUY AT POST WE WILL SEE COME DECEMBER 31 IF MAHAMA WILL TAKE ACTION AGAINST THIS CROOKED INCOMPETENT MINISTER.
YAW 10 years ago

Is that what Ghanaians voted for ? Why Ghanaians vote for NDC again ?

Is that what Ghanaians voted for ? Why Ghanaians vote for NDC again ?
Pele Pele 10 years ago

We should pay more because he signed inflated deal of $500 million dollars, can you imagine? Ghana is for sale. The bush people are selling Ghana

We should pay more because he signed inflated deal of $500 million dollars, can you imagine? Ghana is for sale. The bush people are selling Ghana
Pele Pele 10 years ago

Mahama ,wife,family, brothers and nation deals centre(NDC) are all mafias. Ghanaian mafias

Mahama ,wife,family, brothers and nation deals centre(NDC) are all mafias. Ghanaian mafias
Kwaku Mensah - Accra 10 years ago

This is totally unacceptable. Draining every pesewas out of the pocket of average Ghanaian. This again will bring hardship on the life of Ghanaian, minister should seat up and look for other opportunities and not to task Ghan ...
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This is totally unacceptable. Draining every pesewas out of the pocket of average Ghanaian. This again will bring hardship on the life of Ghanaian, minister should seat up and look for other opportunities and not to task Ghanaian to cover his inefficiencies.
SAMUEL AYAMGA 10 years ago

I believe if he doesn't have solutions to the problem, he should better leave there and not to create more hardship for Ghanaians. The period between 6:00pm to 11:00pm is where small scale business are still operating. Why do ...
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I believe if he doesn't have solutions to the problem, he should better leave there and not to create more hardship for Ghanaians. The period between 6:00pm to 11:00pm is where small scale business are still operating. Why do you want to increase their cost of operation? Why leaders are always passing their incompetence to the ordinary or helpless Ghanaians. When people are given the opportunity to lead , we expect them to leave a good legacy but not to inflict hardship on us.
NEWLIGHT 10 years ago

I've never seen a useless government like Ghana's currently.

I've never seen a useless government like Ghana's currently.
truglio u.s 10 years ago

The sun is always shining in Ghana why can't consumers switch to solar energy and Apostle Kojo Sarfo can invent those devices for every house.

The sun is always shining in Ghana why can't consumers switch to solar energy and Apostle Kojo Sarfo can invent those devices for every house.
EFO KOVI 10 years ago

CORRUPT AND INCOMPETENT KWABENA DONKOR, PUT ON GHANAIAN AND WE WILL PAY.

CORRUPT AND INCOMPETENT KWABENA DONKOR, PUT ON GHANAIAN AND WE WILL PAY.
apuuuu 10 years ago

This power minister Kwabena Donkor is scumbag he is a thief he inflated contact he signed with man wanted by Norwegian police he signed deal for $500 millions instead of $220 million what kind of nonsense is ...
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This power minister Kwabena Donkor is scumbag he is a thief he inflated contact he signed with man wanted by Norwegian police he signed deal for $500 millions instead of $220 million what kind of nonsense is and why is he at his post why incompetent President Mahama is doing this to the country why why apuuuu
Nana Yaw, Boston, USA 10 years ago

Where in the world did the minister hear of this senseless suggestion? I don't blame him. I blame the INCOMPETENT Mahama with his mediocre, bootlicking, and money-grabbing presidency.

Where in the world did the minister hear of this senseless suggestion? I don't blame him. I blame the INCOMPETENT Mahama with his mediocre, bootlicking, and money-grabbing presidency.
Elliot Ness 10 years ago

The minister's solution is based on faulty analysis. Like Rans said, it should be more expensive during daylight when it is not needed to get things done. No one can do without assistive lighting at night time and this policy ...
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The minister's solution is based on faulty analysis. Like Rans said, it should be more expensive during daylight when it is not needed to get things done. No one can do without assistive lighting at night time and this policy would place a burden on those who can least afford to be without lighting. But, please, don't blame Mahama. He didn't know these guys are all incompetent. Nkrumah made the same mistake.
apuuu 10 years ago

Then don't cry Lowder than the widower

Then don't cry Lowder than the widower
MARCUS AMPADU 10 years ago

Social media is not free. More people are u

Social media is not free. More people are u
Kwame Joe 10 years ago

Social media is not free. More people are using sm now than before, and it hasn't cross their mind where the energy to charge their cell phones & computers is coming from.

Social media is not free. More people are using sm now than before, and it hasn't cross their mind where the energy to charge their cell phones & computers is coming from.
kweks 10 years ago

We have to use energy wisely now. Delay in switching on your outside light. Use energy efficient appliances. Change all florescent tubes to energy efficient bulbs. Dont leave your tv & radio on all day. Plan to minimize use o ...
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We have to use energy wisely now. Delay in switching on your outside light. Use energy efficient appliances. Change all florescent tubes to energy efficient bulbs. Dont leave your tv & radio on all day. Plan to minimize use of rice cookers and micro wave and blenders.

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News

Ghanaians to pay more for electricity consumption at night

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