AKSA power project faces US bribery allegations in Ghana

U.S. investigators are examining a US$42 million consultancy arrangement linked to the AKSA power project in Ghana. According to U.S. court documents, prosecutors allege the arrangement was used to facilitate and conceal bribes to Ghanaian officials to secure approvals for the project involving the Turkish energy company AKSA Enerji.

Investigators are focusing on the structure of the consultancy fees, payments tied to government milestones, and transactions through intermediary accounts. The proposed project involved financing estimated at US$190 million. Draft agreements from 2015 reportedly contemplated minimum annual payments of US$10 million to a Ghanaian consulting company acting as a liaison with state institutions.

The Africa Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP) stated it has raised concerns regarding the negotiation of the AKSA agreement and other Independent Power Producer (IPP) contracts since 2015. ACEP Executive Director Benjamin Boakye noted that while the country faced a power crisis requiring urgent solutions, the structure of these emergency procurement arrangements raised long-standing questions about national interest.

The investigation follows the conviction of Asante Kwaku Berko, a former Tema Oil Refinery Managing Director, by a U.S. federal jury for his involvement in a bribery scheme related to the project.