Editorial News of Wednesday, 6 December 2006

Source: Yaw Adu-Asare

Raping Of GT: Owusu-Adjepong To Blame?

Ghanaians must blame all the lapses with Telenor-Ghana telecommunication(GT) contract on Felix Owusu-Adjepong, the former Minister of Communications who fired or refused to renew Malaysia-GT contract. He promised to bring into Ghana an investor with money to put into GT. In the end, Owusu-Adjepong facilitated the selling of a $600,000 business plan - an exorbitant price -(read) to the government of Ghana by the Norwegian group, Telenor.

Owusu-Adjepong subsequently signed a contract with Telenor employing it as a management group.

Telenor did not bring one brown penny to Ghana. Rather, the Owusu-Adjepong-led Ministry of Communications borrowed money in the name of Ghana and handed it over to Telenor to do as it pleased.

The legacy of Owusu-Adjepong's tenure as the Minister of Communications is what Ghanaians are witnessing today.

While at the ministry, Owusu-Adjepong interfered in the deliberations of National Communications Authority (NCA) by imposing himself as Chairman of that regulatory body.

Has Owusu-Adjepong caused financial loss to the state of Ghana?

After leaving a sordid legacy at the ministry, Owusu-adjepong's political fortunes increased when he was appointed to the position of Majority Leader of Parliament. In that position, Owusu-Adjepong had sought to caputure the commanding heights of power in the parliament of Ghana. He argued that the Majority Leader had more power in parliament than the Speaker. Only in Ghana!

Owusu-Adjepong announced recently in parliament that he was in charge of the Ministry of Roads, whose former Minister, Richard Anane, has resigned. Owusu-Adjepong's parliamentary colleagues were astonished by the abrupt announcement of a new critical public office for Owusu-Adjepong.

Who knows the legacy Owusu-Adjepong, the MP from Akim-Swedru, would leave at the Ministry of Roads, this time?