A Deputy Minister of Finance, Fiifi Kwetey, has rubbished allegations of conflict of interest leveled against General Secretary of the ruling NDC, Johnson Aseidu Nketia over the provision of blocks for construction of the Bui Dam Project.
According to Mr. Kwetey, the NDC’s Chief Scribe’s company, which has been in existence for the past twelve years, made good use of an opportunity when it presented itself.
General Mosquito, as the NDC Chief Scribe is affectionately called, is a board member of the Authority and has a block making factory that sells to companies that have been subcontracted by the Chinese working on the project. He is said to be a major supplier of blocks used in the construction of the project, a practice the opposition New Patriotic Party has cited as potential conflict of interest situation.
Former Chief Executive Officer of the Bui Power Authority, Fred Oware accused the NDC General Secretary of selling the blocks at an exorbitant price which has consequently increased the total cost of the project.
But contributing to a panel discussion on Joy FM’s news analysis programme Newsfile, Mr. Kwetey argued rather strongly that there is no conflict of interest in taking advantage of an opportunity.
“…from the information I’m picking up, there are two companies that are sighted close to the Bui Authority that are supplying blocks to these contractors. Aseidu Nketia’s company as you mentioned used to be in Seikwa (his home town), and of course when it is that the sub-contractors went looking for blocks all the way to Seikwa, they saw that…there was an opportunity and therefore cited closer to the place, not as closer as the two other contractors…But, he is not there fully for the supply of blocks to the Bui authority, people are buying blocks from his place from many distances as well. Now, I don’t see in what way that becomes conflict of interest,” he explained.
Mr. Fiifi Kwetey maintained that since the Board of Directors of the Bui Dam Project is not in-charge of that particular procurement they could not have influenced anything whatsoever, much more determine where the contractors should buy their blocks. He also added that the contractors were not under obligation to purchase the blocks from only General Mosquito’s company.
“To the extent that the Bui authority is not in-charge of that particular procurement; the Bui Authority is not determining that the contractors are mandated to buy blocks from only that company, the Bui Authority is not in any way obligating that company to become a monopoly in supplying the blocks, I don’t see where the conflict of interest lies…that’s driving it very far,” he added.
The Deputy Finance Minister described as “absolutely incredible” the fact that ex-president Kufuor elected himself as the Chairman of the Board of the Bui Dam Project.
“I find it absolutely incredible to believe that the President of a country could literally go sit on a Board of a company. Now so if there is a difficulty as far as that company was concerned, if there was some issue that had to do with the company not performing well or engaging some underhand dealings and there was a need to report to a higher authority, so the President now is going to come under what, come and report to the Minister of Energy? For the Minister of Energy to also what subsequently come and report to the President?” he rhetorically asked.
To him, the NPP is deliberately diverting issues regarding their failure in the execution of the Bui Dam project and the Bui City.
The Bui Hydroelectric Power Project was started in 2007 by then President John Kufuor led administration to provide additional voltage to Ghana’s electricity. The project will create a modern city at Bui as part of the resettlement package for inhabitants displaced by the project and to attract investment to the area.
The project, however, is said to have suffered some setback due to financing arrangements.