Bright Simons, Vice President of the policy think tank IMANI Africa has raised concerns about Ghana’s long-term energy planning following the commissioning of the LPG carrier MT Asharami Ghana in South Korea by President John Dramani Mahama.
The vessel, a 40,000-cubic-metre liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) carrier built by HD Hyundai Heavy Industries and owned by Sahara Group, was unveiled in Ulsan as part of efforts to strengthen Ghana’s LPG supply chain and support the country’s clean cooking initiative.
While acknowledging the potential benefits of the new vessel, Simons argued that the development exposes deeper structural weaknesses in Ghana’s energy policy rather than resolving them.
According to him, the country’s gas sector has for years been shaped by what he describes as “katanomics,” where political commitments often exceed the capacity of institutions to implement them effectively.
Simons cited Ghana’s experience with liquefied natural gas projects as an example of this mismatch between policy ambition and practical execution. He noted that the Tema LNG Terminal, despite being physically completed for several years, has yet to receive a commercial cargo, even after multiple commissioning announcements since 2016.
He further pointed out that Ghana has incurred substantial financial losses from unsuccessful energy agreements, explaining that arbitration awards linked to failed gas and power projects have cost the country hundreds of millions of dollars.
According to Simons, although the Asharami Ghana vessel could improve LPG imports and enhance supply reliability, it should not be considered a complete solution to Ghana’s wider energy security challenges.
“The real issue is whether the policy environment can sustain long-term energy infrastructure without collapsing under political and regulatory contradictions,” he argued.
channelonenewsonline
