NDC Chides Akufo-Addo’s Government for Mismanagement of Covid-19 Funds

The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has criticised the Akufo-Addo government for allegedly mismanaging funds meant for the country’s fight against the Covid-19 pandemic. 

This claim and several others come in the wake of a recent report of the Auditor-General on a Special Audit of the Government of Ghana Covid-19 expenditure for the period March 2020 to June 2022.

Addressing a press conference at the Party’s headquarters on Wednesday, February 1, 2023 under the “Moment of Truth” series, the party’s National Communications Officer, Sammy Gyamfi outlined what he described as fifteen ‘shocking revelations’ contained in the report of the Auditor-General.

The party called for the head of the Health Minister, Kwaku Agyeman Manu for impropriety in the purchase of vaccines worth $120,192,379.80 from UNICEF/AVAT, after the Auditor-General disclosed that vaccines valued at only $38,322,000 were supplied to the National Cold Storage, meaning $81.8 million worth of vaccines are yet to be delivered.

The party also faulted the use of GHC10.3 million to purchase Special Life Insurance Cover for 10,000 frontline Health Workers without evidence of Life Insurance Policy document and a list of beneficiaries. 

NDC contends that the arrangement that led to the procurement of 30% life insurance cover from Enterprise Insurance was irregular, therefore smacks of some underhand dealing, given the absence of a policy document and list of beneficiaries.

While commenting on the finding of the report on invoices received from various suppliers for the supply of food to the National Food Buffer Stock Company, the party cited the Chief Executive Officer of the National Food Buffer Stock Company for what it calls, over-invoicing of way bills, thereby occasioning a loss of GHS1,406,085.00. The party is therefore calling for the refund of the said funds into the state’s coffers.

Describing the Akufo-Addo government as a “monument of waste and corruption”, Mr. Gyamfi lamented how a contractor working on a holding, treatment and isolation center at Nalerigu in the North East Region received advanced payments amounting to US$4.5 million, and subsequently abandoned work on the $15 million facility.