Stop BOST – TSL deal now – Wereko- Brobbey

Monday 7th April , 2014 9:25 am

Dr. Charles Wereko- Brobbey,  former Chief Executive Officer of the Volta River Authority (VRA)

Dr. Charles Wereko- Brobbey, former Chief Executive Officer of the Volta River Authority (VRA)

A former CEO of the Volta River Authority (VRA) Dr Charles Wereko Brobbey has joined calls for government to suspend the contract between Bulk Oil Storage and Transport Company (BOST) and TSL logistics Ghana Ltd for the former to outsource management of its petroleum storage facilities within the Accra Plains Depot to TSL.

TSL logistics Ghana Ltd Limited is the Ghanaian subsidiary of TSL Logistics Limited which is based and owned by a Nigerian.

The Ghana Chamber of Bulk Oil distributors were the first to call for the suspension of the contract.

According to the chamber the deal violates Ghana’s local content laws and will cede control of a strategic national resource, to a Nigerian-owned company, pointing out the potential risks in the event of a major dispute with Nigeria, with the example of the shortfall in supply of gas through the West Africa Gas Pipeline.

Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show Dr. Charles Wereko- Brobbey questioned whether due diligence was done before the contract was approved.

‘I think it’s unfortunate and it begs a lot of questions that we must address.

Government is now saying that sole source procurement must be approved by cabinet, so are we to assume that President Mahama and his cabinet approved this without doing any due diligence, without establishing that, there are competent local companies that can do this’.

He alleges that the company in question has not been registered to operate in the country.

‘I have information that this company is not registered am not sure but it needs to be verified.

A company that has got no experience in the industry and is not recognized by the regulatory authority in this country that is the NPA, is being sole sourced to manage a tank farm that contains our national strategic and security stocks, that begs a lot of questions and I think we need a better explanation from BOST

He adds that ‘If indeed this company is not registered with the NPA then this deal must be stopped immediately, even if it means going to court, it must be stopped we cannot have people operating with impunity against the laws of this country it’s not possible’. He said.

By:  Vivian Kai Mensah/citifmonline.com/Ghana