Two major exposés Ablakwa has made about Akufo-Addo govt in 2024

In what many would describe as the pursuit of transparency and accountability, the Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has made two significant exposés about the Akufo-Addo administration in 2024.

Barely two months into the year, the North Tongu MP, known for his outspoken criticisms of the government, has once again put a spotlight on some alleged mismanagement and malfeasance under this government.

The first exposé delved into purported irregularities in awarding contracts worth GH¢83m through sole-sourcing to the brother of Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, Abraham Mahama, with the most recent being a GH¢604m 'unapproved' operational expenses spent on the upcoming All African Games in March 2024.

Bawumia's brother linked to sole-sourced road contracts worth over GH¢83m - Ablakwa blows alarm

In this first exposé, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa accused the vice president of being disingenuous to Ghanaians with his promise to end the unmerited single-sourcing of government contracts.

According to him, Dr Bawumia, in a lecture, promised that he would publish details of every contract his government enters into, but the 2022 audit report showed that 87% of cocoa road contracts in the current government were single-sourced.

The exposé by Ablakwa was critical because when the vice president, at the time he was an opposition running mate, criticised the government of John Dramani Mahama for using sole-sourcing to award contracts.

He said that sole-sourcing was breeding corruption and that the next government under the NPP would do away with sole sourcing.

In a GhanaWeb report on Friday, February 16, 2024, Ablakwa said that his investigation showed that out of the 87% sole-sourced cocoa road contracts, two contracts worth over GH¢83 million were awarded to a company owned by the brothers of Bawumia, within a day.

"By transmittal letter AG.01/109/Vol.2/189 dated June 12, 2023 which conveyed the findings of a performance audit on the construction of cocoa roads, the Auditor-General, Mr. Johnson Akuamoah Asiedu shockingly reveals how a frightening 87% of cocoa road contracts since 2020 were awarded through a non-competitive process, and how there was no value for money with some of the contracts awarded at three-times the actual cost.

“... PPA documents reveal that in one day — specifically on July 2, 2020, Resources Access Limited owned by Abraham Bawumia (the Veep’s brother) and Aneta Kaminska Bawumia were handed two lucrative single-sourced cocoa road contracts valued at a fantastic GH¢83.7million,” Ablakwa wrote.

He added: “The details of the two contracts are as follows: 1. Contract for upgrading of Effutu - Abrem Agona and Effutu - Sorodofo Feeder Road (21.39km - Central Region) awarded at GH¢54,262,878.84. 2. Contract for upgrading of Kyiboso Hasowodze Bungalow, Feeder Road (14.50km - Central Region) awarded at GH¢29,468,546.54.”

All African Games: Ablakwa blows alarm on GH¢604m 'unapproved' operational expenses

Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, on February 26, published documents alleging that the government is overspending its operational expenses threshold by about 500% of the amount approved by parliament, relative to preparations for the 13th All African Games.

He accused President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the sports ministry, and the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) of the games of being complicit in the ballooned expenditure.

The three groups, he said, in a February 26, 2024, post on social media, "have shockingly agreed to spend an elephantine, wrongful and unconscionable US$48million on so-called "operational expenses" for the 13th African Games to be hosted in Ghana between the period — March 5 to March 23, 2024. [Refer to intercepted documents attached]

"2. It must be noted that this staggering US$48 million is an entirely different amount from the mega US$195 million (GHS2.4 billion) already spent on infrastructure for the games.

"3. At the prevailing exchange rate, US$48 million is equivalent to a colossal GHS602 million," he added.

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