Hon Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, a Ranking Member on Parliament’s Health Committee, has divulged that the report from the Auditor General on Covid-19 expenditures has justified the National Democratic Congress’ position on the need for an inquiry.
In January 2022, the Minority caucus in Parliament filed a motion for an inquiry into the expenditure made by the Akufo Addo led government since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. The motion was admitted by Hon Alban Bagbin, the Speaker of Parliament, but dismissed in February 2022, by the First Deputy Speaker, Hon Joseph Osei Owusu, with explanation that such a bi-partisan committee is already provided for, by the constitution via the office of the Auditor-General and the Public Accounts Committee.
Mr. Mintah Akandoh stated that the reckless spending exposed in the audit report supports their point that the Covid-19 expenditure ought to have been interrogated.
“We started insisting on this probe not today, insisting on this probe. In fact in the initial stages, our colleagues on the other side thought that there was absolutely nothing wrong to be investigated. It got to a point our motion to call for that probe was even thrown off parliament.
“That time, it was the Rt. Honourable First Deputy Speaker, Joe Osei Owusu, who was sitting in the chair. But agreed this first Auditor-General’s report has vindicated our position that indeed there is something to be investigated.”
Minta Akando
In the words of Mr Akando, “I think that we must go beyond what the Auditor General has done. Now we are receiving memoranda, anybody who has anything to submit or to tell us is welcomed and so by the 7th of February, we will begin sitting in public and I think that whatever will come out will be for everybody to know.”
The Auditor General’s report disclosed some infractions in government’s expenditure for Covid-19 from March 2020 to June 2022.
Some of the breaches that were uncovered include: paying a total of US$607,419.02 out of US$4,049,460.12 for the purchase of 26 ambulances that were never delivered, paying unapproved GH ₵151,500 by the Information Ministry to its own staff as Covid insurance, and paying for $80 million worth of vaccines by the government that was never delivered, amongst others.
Ghana Was The Best Among The Worst
Meanwhile, Dr. Kwame Asiedu Sarpong, a Pharmacist and Research Fellow at Center for Democratic Development (CDD Ghana), has backed calls for further investigation into the Covid-19 expenditure infractions.
In the Auditor General’s report concerning Covid-19 expenditures from March 2020 to June 2022, it was revealed that millions of Ghana cedis had been lost through profligate and reckless spending.
However, some government communicators have argued that with Ghana ranking very high with regards to the country’s Covid-19 management, such probes into Covid-19 expenditure are unnecessary. Dr. Kwame Asiedu Sarpong indicated that, the argument is flawed and rather makes a mockery of the country.
According to Dr Kwame Asiedu Sarpong, Ghana was merely compared to the worst performing countries in relation to Covid-19 management, and therefore, there was nothing to celebrate.
“Anytime I hear a comparison ‘oh an African country is the best among Africans’, you have got to look at the testing rate in Africa. The testing rate in Africa was the lowest; in fact, it was not even comparable to South East Asia. It was that bad.
“So if you are the best among the worst and you read the Brookings Institute’s report to justify that I find that ludicrous. What happened to comparing us to what was happening in the rest of the world? Because this was a global pandemic, it was not an African pandemic.”
Dr Sarpong
The pharmacist concluded by saying “We are not talking about Ebola, are we? We are talking about a global pandemic where people were testing at scale. Why does Africa always want to be treated as paupers? When we are told we are beggars, does it mean the one who begs least becomes the shining star?”
