AUDIO: I Repeat; ECG Is Not For Sale!!! - Energy Minister

The Energy and Petroleum Minister, Emmanuel Kofi Armah Buah has again refuted claims that the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) is for sale. Thursday�s edition of the Chronicle newspaper had as one of its headlines �It�s Official: ECG To Be Sold.� According to the publication, "the government has, until the end of this month, to make a decision on either to sell the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) or lease the company to a private investor for between 20 and 25 years. The planned sale, described euphemistically as Private Sector Participation (PSP), is the conditionality that Government has committed itself to, for accessing approximately $500m from the United States Government under the Millennium Challenge Corporation Compact II for investing in the energy sector." The paper continues; "the privatization option, according to the document (a copy of which is in the possession of the Chronicle), will involve the sale of shares in ECG to a strategic investor with proven technical, financial capacity and track record in utilities similar in size to that of the Company to carry out electricity distribution and supply activities." Prior to this, there had been other reports in the media indicating that ECG is likely to be sold to a private firm. However, speaking to the issue in an interview on PEACE FM's morning show �Kokrokoo�, the Energy Minister reiterated that �ECG is not for sale; government has no plans of selling ECG�. According to him, government is rather engaging private partners to help in issues of technology, upgrading of equipment and so on. Hon Kofi Buah pleaded with the media to stop fabricating such stories because �it creates an uneasy atmosphere and tension among the workers of ECG�. Click on the audio ABOVE to listen to the interview between Hon Kofi Buah and Kwami Sefa Kayi, host of �Kokrokoo�