General News of Thursday, 10 October 2019

Source: ghanacrusader.com

Audio: God forgive ‘desperate, frustrated bitter’ Pizziconi - UG VC

The VC insists all his engagement with the woman has been strictly business The VC insists all his engagement with the woman has been strictly business

The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana Prof Ebenezer Oduro-Owusu, has asked for God’s forgiveness for the CEO of Africa Integras Andrea Pizziconi for allegedly accusing him of sexual harassment.

According to him, all his engagement with the woman has been business one.

“All my meetings with this woman has been extremely business, so if this woman could go that extra mile to tarnish my image and the University, seriously she doesn’t fear God. I ask God’s forgiveness for her.” He told Accra based radio Okay FM monitored by Ghanacrusader.com.

The Africa Integras CEO wrote on twitter that her company Africa Integras led a US$64mn infrastructure investment at UG which was defaulted upon by the current VC.

“I have remained mostly quiet despite the battery of attacks by Professor Ebenezer Oduro Owusu on my dignity. I was advised not to make waves and definitely not to raise the #metoo flag if I wanted to put the project back on track, which I do. Now I feel compelled to speak up and draw a direct line between this sex scandal and our derailed project,” she wrote.

But reacting to the issue, Prof Ebenezer Oduro-Owusu denied the allegations stating that it is untrue.

“Those who know me, knows that I cannot do that. I always speak for the truth and make sure the right thing is done. This has cause me so much as a Vice Chancellor but I see this publication as a desperate, frustrated bitter woman.” He said.

He explained that, Andrea Pizziconi came to him that, she wanted to invest about US$64m in a project at University of Ghana.

But after realizing that the university will pay US$25m every year for the next 25 years which will be a total of over US$600m which is very costly following the terms and conditions in the contract. He asked for renegotiation but the woman rejected and later decided to terminate the deal.

“Gov’t is aware about this contract. So I believe it is because of all these that she decided to tarnish my image’’.

“I have been extremely careful not to have a one on one with her, I have always insisted we meet in teams and she rejected that but I told her my style is that we meet in teams. The last time I met her, she insisted we meet alone in my office but I went ahead to invite my Pro-VC and one other to the office and she was surprised to meet them in my office.” He said.

Prof Oduro Owusu, however, said if the University’s Council decides to investigate Ms Pizziconi’s allegations against him, he is ready and willing to submit himself to that probe.