The Head of Corporate Affairs at Exim Bank, Richard Osei Anane, says he cannot disclose the amount signed in agreement with Shatta Wale and Agya Koo on their brand ambassadorial positions.
According to him, the campaign was not rolled out, but put on hold after the pandemic hit the country.
“We even launched the program belatedly on August 30. Indeed we have signed a contract with the two artistes they have not even started their roles”.
He further noted that the contract however, demanded the make an initial 15% payment of the agreed amount with the subsequent tranche paid in the course of the year and based on their performance.
“This is a one year contract and we have not even started. I can’t disclose the amount because of the contractual agreement but I can tell you that we have passed through the procurement agreement to arrive at where we are.”
Further reacting to the claims, the Ghana Exim Bank issued a statement to counter allegations made by Member of Parliament for Kumbugu, Ras Mubarak’s over the payment of ¢2 million to Shatta Wale and Agya Koo as brand ambassadors.
The Bank explained that, although they sought the services of Agya Koo and Shatta Wale for a Made in Ghana campaign, the Bank has not paid such a huge sum.
“We would like to state that, part of GEXIM’s mandate is to assist in the promotion of locally-produced goods and services to enhance export revenue generation, help reduce import, add value to raw materials for export, and create employment in the country.
“In view of this national call, the Bank on Sunday, August 30, 2020, launched a campaign dubbed: Made-in-Ghana 4P. The 4P stands for encouraging Ghanaians to Produce, Promote and Purchase Made-in-Ghana products and services so we can Prosper as a people and nation.”
According to the Bank, these renowned Brand Ambassadors will be using their “scale, brand equity, leverages and the pool of their fan bases to garner the needed acceptance, adoption and participation by Ghanaians in the Made-in-Ghana 4P campaign.”
Through the campaign, Exim Bank believes the products of the entities that they are lending money to can be patronized for them to pay back and also energize the whole culture of buying and using Made-in-Ghana products in the country.
Meanwhile, Chairman of Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee James Klutse Avedzi says he will make a decision next week on whether to summon musician Shata Wale over the alleged payment of ¢2 million to him by Exim Bank.
He stated that the allegation is not captured in the report submitted to the committee by the Exim bank.
“It is a public interest question. So we will take our time, look for the information the Member has and once we get that information we will invite the Exim Bank officials to appear again.”
Mr. Avedzi said that if evidence reveals Shatta Wale was indeed paid, he may be asked to refund some of the money if the work he did for the bank does not merit that sum of money.
