Minority slams Ken Ofori-Atta of discriminatory payment to IPPs

The Minority in Parliament has accused the Minister of Finance, Mr. Ken Ofori-Atta of discriminatory payment of the debt owed to Independent Power Producers (IPPs) which the caucus bemoans would not help in resolving concerns of the group.

The IPPs which control 50 percent of the country’s generation mix have threatened to shut down their plants starting July 1, 2023, unless the government provides an interim payment of 30 percent of the outstanding debt of 1.7 billion dollars owed them.

“The approach taken by the Finance Minister will not resolve the issue. The Finance Minister instead of dealing with the Chamber of IPPs is engaged in selective and discriminatory payment selecting some preferred IPPs, paying them, and leaving them to their own fate.”

“We wish to call on the government and particularly the president to intervene urgently in this matter and ensure that we find an amicable solution. The debt as we speak now is about $1.7 billion, and it keeps compounding. ECGs losses today are over 30 percent, forex losses alone account for more than $300 million, fuel supplied that has not been paid runs into 100s of millions of dollars,” the Ranking Member on the Mines and Energy Committee of Parliament, John Jinapor told journalists in Accra on Friday.

He appealed to the IPPs to rescind their decision while urging the government to show commitment to resolving their grievances.

“Please reconsider your decision towards shutting your plants on July 1. Please give the government and the nation some more time.”

“We also call on the government to demonstrate leadership, to show commitment to resolving this issue,” Mr Jinapor stated.