Port authorities are now in possession of 2,583 containers out of the 2,637 containers belonging to the Electricity Company of Ghana that went missing, Head of Communications at the Ministry of Energy and Green Transition, Richmond Rockson, has revealed.

Mr Richmond Rockson while speaking on the Citibreakfast show today revealed that an investigation was sanctioned by Energy and Green Transition Minister, John Abdulai Jinapor, to determine the number of missing containers after receiving contradictory reports.

“The minister was receiving conflicting figures, so he ordered an investigation to determine the actual number of missing containers,” Rockson stated.

“The investigation revealed that, in total, 2,637 containers were involved. Out of this, 2,583 are now confirmed to be in the possession of port authorities," he further revealed.

Three months ago, a committee commissioned on January 30 to examine procurement irregularities and the prolonged detention of ECG’s equipment at the Tema Port revealed detailed severe procurement violations and found that approximately 1,328 containers remain unaccounted for.

In March, Energy and Green Transition Minister, John Abdulai Jinapor, disclosed that 40 of the 1,328 missing containers belonging to the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) have been located in a warehouse at Kpone, near Tema. The facility is reportedly owned by an Indian national.

The minister further revealed that the warehouse owner claimed to have legally purchased the containers last year. However, he emphasized that the matter remains under active investigation, with authorities determined to hold those responsible accountable.

Mr. Jinapor commended the collaborative efforts of national security and law enforcement agencies in recovering the containers.

Former Managing Director of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), Samuel Dubik Mahama, earlier pledged his full cooperation with any investigative body seeking to uncover the circumstances surrounding the disappearance of the ECG containers at the Tema Port.

Addressing the matter on the Citi Breakfast Show on Thursday, April 3, Dubik Mahama expressed shock and disappointment over the controversy but affirmed his readiness to engage with any official probe into the missing shipments.

“The containers were never in the custody of the ECG. If they were in ECG’s custody, then you can hold ECG responsible but this is the case that they were still under the port authorities and so I am all for whatever investigations there will be and I am ready to sit with whoever to give my side of the story,” he stated.

Key findings from the investigative report by the committee include:

Prior to 2022, ECG maintained a dedicated fund that received weekly allocations to facilitate the clearance of shipments. However, this funding mechanism was discontinued due to financial constraints cited by the ECG board.

Despite limited resources, ECG awarded contracts to two firms to clear the shipments, one of which was pre-financed by ECG.

One of these companies reportedly lacked the necessary licensing to handle the contract, raising concerns over procurement violations.

ECG’s procurement directorate was merged with its Housing and Estate unit, further complicating oversight mechanisms.

The Director of Procurement had no prior experience in procurement and was not a registered member of any professional procurement body.