The Minister for Energy and Green Transition, Dr John Abdulai Jinapor, has announced a major policy shift to promote transparency in Ghana’s energy sector, declaring that Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) will no longer be kept from public scrutiny.

He made the announcement during a high-level working visit by members of the Open Government Partnership (OGP) Caucus, who were in the country to assess progress on Ghana’s National Action Plan.

According to Mr Jinapor, transparency in the energy sector is essential for accountability and good governance, stressing that secrecy around power deals will no longer be tolerated.

The visit, led by Member of Parliament for Akim Oda and OGP Caucus Vice Chairperson, Alexander Akwasi Acquah, focused on evaluating how state institutions are meeting transparency benchmarks.

A key proposal under the plan is to amend the mandate of the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) to make it legally mandatory for all power-sector contracts to be publicly disclosed.

The move is aimed at ending what officials describe as a long-standing culture of closed-door negotiations in the energy sector.

Mr Jinapor disclosed that the Ministry is already taking steps to improve access to information, noting that all existing PPAs are currently submitted to Parliament for scrutiny, including recently renegotiated agreements inherited from previous administrations.

He further announced plans to launch a dedicated website where all such agreements will be published.

“Once the portal is operational, citizens and stakeholders will be able to access and download PPAs freely,” he assured.

The push for openness follows years of concerns over opaque energy contracts and their financial implications for the state.

One notable example is the 2017 termination of the Ghana Power Generating Company agreement, which led to international arbitration with Trafigura and resulted in a $140 million judgment against Ghana.

The Government believes that increased transparency and stricter regulation — supported by a recently passed Legislative Instrument — will help prevent similar disputes and ensure better value for money.

Ghana, a member of the OGP since 2011, continues to implement reforms aimed at strengthening open governance.

The engagement was attended by several Members of Parliament, including Dominic Nitiwul, Shirley Kyei, Gloria Owusu, Adelaide Ntim and Kingsley Nyarko, who reiterated Parliament’s commitment to ensuring accountability in the energy sector.

The reforms are expected to strengthen public trust and enhance oversight in one of Ghana’s most critical sectors.