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Unconfirmed reports indicate that Minister of Energy, Boakye Agyarko, could be on his way out of office in a matter of hours.

Peacefmonline.com sources at the seat of government, the Jubilee House, say the Energy Minister has been given some days to resign from his position or risk being forced out over the controversial Novation and amendment AMERI deal.

This follows claims that President Akufo-Addo was 'misled' in the new AMERI deal presented to Parliament few days ago.

The novation and amendment agreement was seeking to buy out the deal Ameri Energy had with the government of Ghana under President John Mahama and handed over to a third party Mytilineos for 15 years. Ghana would have ended up paying over Ghc1 billion under the new arrangement.

The new company has offered to pay AMERI an amount of $52,160,560, with the government paying the remaining $39 million to the Dubai-based AMERI Energy to wash its hands off the deal entirely.

The joint committee on Finance and Energy of Parliament rejected the new deal because it had no signatures from the Attorney General and Finance minister.

Background

President Akufo-Addo, according to reports, was misled into granting executive approval for the deal under the guise of there being an urgent need to have a bill laid in Parliament before the House rose.

Under the new proposal, the Greece-based Mytilineos International Trading Company was to assume management responsibility for the AMERI emergency power-generation arrangement negotiated by the past NDC government, in effect extending the original outsourcing agreement by ten more years.

But it has been described by the Minority in Parliament, the Volta River Authority (VRA), African Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP) and Chamber of Petroleum Consumers Ghana (COPEC Ghana) as “stinky” and “a rip-off,” and would prefer the President kicks him out of office.

"Sack Agyarko If He Fails To Resign"

At a press conference on Monday, the Senior Staff Association of the Volta River Authority (VRA) disputed claims by Energy Minister Boakye Agyarko that the newly revised AMERI deal will save Ghana some $400 million.

Chairman of the senior Staff Association Cephas Duse addressing the media Monday, said Mr. Agyarko has exhibited financial recklessness and must be given the boot from office or resign.

“We think that by the current deal, the minister has exhibited financial recklessness with intent to assist a foreign company to milk the state. We therefore call on him to resign honourably and save the nation and the government further disgrace and embarrassment....We plead with the President to sack him if he fails to resign,” Chairman of the senior Staff Association Cephas Duse said.

Their call followed a similar one by COPEC Ghana who also demanded that the President immediately sacks Mr. Agyarko for deceiving the nation.

“We, therefore, call upon the president to urgently fire or sack the Energy Minister and its communicators and prosecute them,” a press release signed by Research, Pricing and Monitoring Officer at COPEC Ghana, Sampson Addae, said on Sunday, 5 August 2018.