Ghana Gas Boss Quits

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana National Gas Company (Ghana Gas), Dr. George Sipa-Adjah Yankey, has proceeded on terminal leave.

A press statement issued in Accra and signed by the Corporate Communications Manager, Alfred Ogbamey, said the “Board last week approved a request by the CEO to proceed on terminal leave, effective February 1, 2017 and terminating in May 2017.”

Dr Yankey supervised the construction and operations phases of the company, and has served as a board member and CEO of the company since it was established.

The Atuabo-based gas company directly employs about 300 people and provides thousands of ancillary jobs in the service, hotelier, marketing and transport industries, as well as in the delivery and retail of LPG and Condensates across Ghana.

Deals
However, an alleged fictitious deal related to the construction of the second phase of the Ghana Gas Plant at Atuabo with mind-blowing contract figures has raised eyebrows at the Ghana Gas Company.

The yet-to-be-signed contract is in connection with funding for Mainline Compressor Station and Feed for Second Gas Processing Plant (GPP.)

Ideally, the contract should cost about $5 million, but strangely a staggering $8.3 million has been quoted.

The incoming board chairman of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), CEO and the new Minister of Energy and Petroleum Resources have therefore been advised to critically scrutinize the contract.

Some gurus in the immediate-past National Democratic Congress (NDC) government are said to be behind the alleged fishy contract.

The top politicians (names withheld) would unjustifiably benefit from the project at the expense of the state in case the contract is signed, according to reports.

These top politicians reportedly pushed hard to get the contract signed before the assumption of office of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration, but their efforts proved futile.

DAILY GUIDE has sighted a copy of a letter authored by Dr. George Sipa-Adjah Yankey dated December 19, 2016 concerning the said contract with the heading 'Re; Funding For Mainline Compressor Station And Feed For Second GPP.'

Part of the letter reads “Please note that the Public Procurement Authority has approved the sole sourcing of Messrs Pietro Fiorentini to undertake the front and engineering design (FEED) for the second train gas processing plant at Atuabo.

“We wish to advise you that we have completed both the technical scope and commercial negotiations with Messes Pietro Fiorentini local representative, Messer Fiorentini Ghana Limited and are in the process of awarding them the contract.

“The contract price has been set at eight million three hundred thousand united state dollars ($8,300,000). In order to meet the agreed schedule for the feed, the contractor must commence work in January 2017.

“The immediate funding requirement is the Advance payment of 30% of the contract sum against an advance payment guarantee and performance guarantee.

“Kindly advice us of the amount GNPC can make available for immediate drawdown and when you will be in a position to fund the entire 30% drawdown.”

From I.F. Joe Awuah Jnr., Kumasi