CEO of Bui Project Authority defends Asiedu Nketia

Johnson Asiedu Nketia

The Chief Executive of the Bui Power Authority, Jabesh Amissah-Arthur, says the Authority has no interest in where construction blocks for the project are purchased from.

Last week the opposition NPP accused NDC General Secretary Johnson Asiedu Nketia of conflict of interest in the project. Mr Asiedu Nketia, who is a board member of the Authority, has a block making factory that sells to companies that have been subcontracted by the Chinese working on the project.

But speaking on Jy FM's news analysis programme Newsfile, Mr Jabesh Amissah-Arthur said he sees no problem as long as the materials meet the desired quality.

“The local contractors get their blocks from wherever they want to but we send them back to the lab, test that the blocks are of desired quality, [then] they are allowed to use them. We have no interest where they buy them from. The price for the works has already been agreed with the Chinese.”

Mr Amissah-Arthur explained that in the original contract, the Chinese were supposed to produce their own blocks for the project, but “the Chinese in the middle of the work said their plant couldn't deliver any more”.

Based on that, he noted, they were allowed to go out and subcontract local-based companies to manufacture the blocks for the smooth running of the project.

In another development, Mr Amissah-Arthur also disclosed that even though the previous administration had two board meetings over the 18-month period, the current board did not receive any signed minutes from those meetings.

However, former CEO of the project, Fred Oware, denied this, saying he himself appended his signature to the minutes.