Baffour Awuah calls for public inquiry into AKSA Energy Deal

By Hubeyidatu Mumuni

Member of Parliament for Manhyia South, Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah, has called for a public inquiry into Ghana’s controversial AKSA Energy deal.

He argued that the conviction of former Goldman Sachs executive Asante Kwaku Berko in the United States exposes serious weaknesses in the country’s anti-corruption and public procurement systems.

Speaking on Newsfile, the legislator said the foreign conviction had moved the controversy beyond mere allegations and raised questions about how approvals for the AKSA Energy project were secured.

According to Baffour Awuah, the case demonstrates the need for Ghanaian authorities to investigate whether public officials were influenced through bribery in the process of approving the deal.

He also questioned the value for money obtained from the project, citing the more than $700 million reportedly spent on the power plant despite its alleged operation at only about 16 per cent capacity.

The MP said the situation reflected failures in parliamentary oversight and other regulatory mechanisms responsible for protecting the public interest.

He maintained that a public inquiry would provide an opportunity to establish the full facts surrounding the deal, identify persons responsible for any wrongdoing and allow individuals who may have been wrongly implicated to clear their names.

Baffour Awuah also raised concerns about the prosecution of corruption-related cases, arguing that previous governments had pursued cases involving their own officials. He expressed doubts about whether the current Attorney General would independently prosecute public officials implicated in the AKSA matter.

The MP therefore urged the government to institute a comprehensive inquiry into the deal, saying such a process was necessary to restore public confidence and prevent similar controversies from recurring.

The call comes amid renewed scrutiny of the AKSA Energy agreement following developments in the United States involving Asante Kwaku Berko, whose conviction has intensified calls for Ghana to examine the local circumstances surrounding the deal.