Business News of Thursday, 12 March 2020

Source: dailymailgh.com

Don’t take energy advice from our PM – Trinidad opposition leader to Ghana

Kamla Persad-Bissessar, Trinidad's opposition leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar, Trinidad's opposition leader

Trinidad’s opposition leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar has expressed shock her Prime Minister Dr. Keith Christopher Rowley on his recent visit to Ghana was discussing energy issues.

She said the PM has failed abysmally in his country and does not have the moral right to advice anyone on energy matters. Persad-Bissessar said the Prime Minister is in no place to give advice on the topic of energy to any other country, given the sector’s current state in TT.

“I’m very happy the Prime Minister went to see culture and his roots and so on. It’s always good, I’ll encourage everyone if they can afford it, you should go. But what I found very shocking was, having shut down the entire energy industry in our country, he’s giving advice to Ghana on the energy industry,” she said during a press conference in Trinidad.

President Akufo-Addo with Prime Minister Keith Rowley
During his recent trip to Ghana, Dr Rowley said he was seeking to deepen the African nation’s collaboration with TT through agriculture and energy.

He revealed this while addressing Independence Day celebrations at the Baba-Yara Sports Stadium in Kumasi, Ghana on Friday.

He said TT was a “ready partner” that would assist Ghana with the development of its energy sector.

But speaking with the media, Persad-Bissessar urged Ghanaians not to take Rowley’s advice. She said Government has failed in terms of oil production and TT’s economy is in a “very bad state.”

“We have had a loss in our energy sector in a very bad way and for many reasons. One is the price shocks, but the other has to do with the output, the production. They have not tried to get more oil out the ground. And with the prices so low it may be cheaper to just leave it in the ground.”

Asked about the Prime Minister’s decision to import provisions from Ghana, the Opposition Leader said, “When I talked about agriculture, a main part of my economic transformation master plan has agriculture at the centre for diversification, and the Prime Minister, said ‘What’s wrong with her? We don’t have the land.’

“Now he’s talking about planting provisions and so on and that is well and good.”

She said the Government’s days in office were numbered and that it was on its “last leg.

“I have no hope or faith in the solutions the Government may propose at this late stage in office.”