€ŒCONTRACTS CUT, POWER PLAYS: BUT WHO REALLY PAYS?€

“Contracts Cut, Power Plays: But Who Really Pays?”

One evening, the lights in my area went off just as I was reheating some leftover jollof. I waited, thinking, Oh, it’s just a flicker—it’ll come back in five minutes. But two hours passed. Then three. The rice got cold again. And so did my patience.

I remember thinking: How is it that in 2025, ECG still surprises us like this? It’s like being in a toxic relationship—you don’t want to leave, but they keep disappointing you. Then boom—I saw the headline: “Over $227.6 million ECG contracts terminated — John Jinapor.”

Now, $227.6 million isn’t pocket change. That’s not “we bought too much stationery” money. That’s real-deal, major investment cash. And to hear that all of it—poof—gone, terminated, just like that? I had questions. Still do, honestly.

According to John Jinapor, these were “bad” contracts. Overpriced, unnecessary, or just shady from the start. But my first thought wasn’t even about politics. It was about the light switch in my hallway that only works when you slap it twice. Because while big men are out here signing and canceling multimillion-dollar deals like it’s a group chat argument, we’re the ones stuck sweating through dumsor nights.

In my opinion—and hey, I might be wrong—but this isn’t just a finance issue. It’s a trust issue. Ghanaians have gotten used to hearing about inflated figures, terminated contracts, and mysterious disappearances of public funds like it’s part of the news cycle. Wake up, brush your teeth, hear about another $200 million gone.

And here’s the kicker: after all this money, ECG still struggles. Like, can someone explain how we spend hundreds of millions, yet the power still trips when it drizzles?

I know governance is messy. Sometimes you need to terminate contracts to stop further loss. That makes sense. But what I (and probably most Ghanaians) want to know is: who signed them in the first place? Who got paid? What did we get for the money that’s already gone?

Because if we’re just cancelling contracts without accountability, then what’s to stop the next government from coming in and doing the same dance? Sign, scrap, repeat.

Maybe I’m being too cynical. Maybe there’s a master plan behind it all. But until I see ECG running smoothly without my fridge turning off mid-defrost, I’m going to keep asking:

When will leadership stop costing us money and start earning our trust?