The Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Honorable Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has revealed the long-withheld details of the Black Stars’ budget for the ongoing 2024 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament in Côte d’Ivoire.
The intercepted documents, as presented by Mr Ablakwa, shed light on a budget of an astonishing US$8.5 million which is equivalent to GHS105 million at the current exchange rate.
The Honorable Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, known for his commitment to transparency and accountability who has been relentless in his pursuit of information regarding the financial aspects of the national football team in a post on Facebook on Monday January 29 2024 emphasized the duty of a patriotic citizenry to unveil information when the government resorts to concealing it from the public.
“I promised in my publication last week on the staggering GHS27.9million taxpayers spent on the Black Stars between 2022 and 2023 that I shall subsequently, in the supreme national interest, share further information on financials relating specifically to the AFCON tournament in Côte d’Ivoire — I intend to keep that promise today.
“Government and GFA officials have done everything under the sun to conceal how much they budgeted for the preparation and participation of the Black Stars at the ongoing 2024 AFCON”.
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa
According to the Honorable Ablakwa, the budget of US$8.5 million, was outlined in an intercepted letter from the Ministry of Youth and Sports dated January 2, 2024 which included a request for a partial payment of US$5,071,840.36 from the total budget.
He further stated that the letter, signed by the Chief Director of the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Mr. William Kartey, on behalf of the Minister, Honorable Mustapha Ussif, indicated the scale of financial commitment involved in preparing and participating in the AFCON tournament.
The Honorable Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa also noted that the disclosed budget is entirely separate from the GHS27.9 million spent on the qualifiers, making him to question the financial prudence and decision-making behind the allocation of funds.
Ablakwa Expresses Shocks At Black Stars Budget Allocation: Call For Parliamentary Probe
Furthermore, the Ranking Member of Parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs argued that the amount of money budgeted for the Black Stars also brings into sharp focus the economic context of Ghana.
He expressed deep concerns of how a country grappling with financial challenges, having defaulted on loans and actively seeking an International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout would choose to spend such a huge amount of money in a football tournament.
According to Honorable Ablakwa, his personal checks also reveal that the prize money for the AFCON winner is US$7 million, implying that even if the Black Stars had clinched the trophy, the budgetary decisions made by the Ghana Football Association and the Ministry of Youth and Sports would have resulted in a substantial loss exceeding US$1.5 million.
Moreover, the Honorable Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa compared Ghana’s budget to that of other nations, citing Zambia’s approval of a total budget of only US$2.1 million for the same AFCON competition.
“I have been wondering how government and FA officials in a country like Zambia can approve a total budget of only US$2.1million for the same AFCON competition and be fine, but Ghana has to live large and ostentatious — a bankrupt country undergoing debt restructuring and unable to construct resettlement homes for victims of VRA’s catastrophic spillage from the Akosombo and Kpong dams.
“A painful addition to the scandalous GHS105million budget is that it did not guarantee success on the pitch either. It must be clearer now as to why the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government and FA officials have put up such a brave fight, albeit undemocratic, just to hide the Black Stars AFCON budget”.
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa
In light of these revelations, the Honorable Ablakwa called on Parliament to initiate a probe into the astonishing AFCON budget when sessions resume on February 6, 2024.
According to him, his findings raises questions about the transparency, accountability, and decision-making processes within the government and the Ghana Football Association, hence the need for Parliament to take immediate steps to examine the financial management practices surrounding the national football team.
The Honorable Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa further pledged to unveil more explosive intercepted documents in his ongoing oversight efforts, promising further insight into the controversial Black Stars AFCON budget.
It is important to state that, despite several calls from both Parliament and Ghanaian sports journalists, the Ministry of Youth and Sports, along with the Ghana Football Association (GFA), refused to disclose the Black Stars’ AFCON budget.
The Honorable Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa’s revelations have now brought to light a staggering figure that raises eyebrows and concerns among the citizens.
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