A major scandal has rocked Ghana’s energy sector as the Ministry of Energy has confirmed that only 40 out of 2,637 containers belonging to the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) have been traced and recovered. The containers, many of which carried vital electrical materials, had gone missing from the Tema Port under mysterious circumstances, raising alarms of systemic corruption and procurement breaches.
According to the Ministry’s Public Relations Officer in an interview on the City Breakfast Show on Tuesday, May 27, the recovery effort began following an audit ordered by the Energy Minister, John Abdulai Jinapor. The audit, led by Prof. Innocent Senyo Acquah, uncovered that ECG’s internal documentation reported 2,491 containers still uncleared at the port. However, upon physical verification, only 1,134 containers could be accounted for, with the whereabouts of the remaining 1,357 unknown.
In a press briefing, Minister Jinapor revealed that 40 of the missing containers were located in a warehouse in Kpone, Tema, owned by an Indian national. The items had reportedly been moved without proper clearance or documentation. These containers have since been confiscated and relocated to a secure ECG facility.
“This is a matter of national concern,” the Minister stated. “We have taken immediate steps to secure what has been recovered and are actively pursuing the rest with the support of national security agencies.”
So far, 13 individuals, 12 Chinese nationals and one Ghanaian, have been arrested in connection with the scandal. According to security sources, the suspects were involved in the illegal processing of stolen electrical cables, which were being smelted into aluminum bars for export at a facility in Shai Hills.
The Ministry of Energy has since requested the intervention of the Attorney General to lead a full-scale investigation and bring those responsible to justice. The National Intelligence Bureau (NIB) has also been deployed to track down the remaining containers.
The issue has unearthed deeper problems within ECG’s procurement system. The audit revealed that some contracts were awarded to unlicensed companies, and internal procurement controls were compromised after the Procurement Directorate was merged with the Housing and Estates unit.
Energy experts and civil society organizations, including IMANI Africa, have called for a transparent investigation and structural reforms within the ECG and the ministry. “This is not just about missing containers—it’s about public accountability and securing our national infrastructure,” an IMANI spokesperson said.
Minister Jinapor has vowed to implement stringent security and procurement measures, including the evacuation of all uncleared ECG containers at the port to a single, well-guarded facility.
As the investigation unfolds, Ghanaians await further clarity and justice in a case that underscores the urgent need for transparency in the management of public resources.
