The Minority Chief Whip of Parliament, Kwame Governs Agbodza, has reacted to a statement by the Ghana Immigration Service suggesting that he lied about the cost of the e-gate at Terminal 3 of the Kotoka International Airport.

The service, in the said statement, which was issued on Thursday, December 19, 2024, refuted claims that the recently commissioned electronic gates (e-gate) at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) cost the nation $240m.

The Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) stated emphatically that the installed E-gates at the KIA cost the nation $1.7m and not $240m as claimed.

The statement further explained that the GIS is implementing a new integrated border management system known as the "Immigration 360," at all of the nation's entry points, and seized the opportunity to present in detail, various components and costs of the integrated border management system, which has the installation of the E-gates as a component of the system.

Reacting to this at Parliament on Thursday, in a briefing with the media, Governs Agbodza, who is the Member of Parliament for the Adaklu Constituency in the Volta Region, indicated that the GIS issued the statement challenging him out of ignorance.

The MP said that the GIS does not have all the facts on the procurement of the E-gate and was ignorant of the fact that it is being used by a private entity and some persons in the government.

He said that he has all the documents that prove his claims, which he would share with the media.

“The Immigration Service themselves don’t realise that they are just a tool in the hands of some people close to the vice president and some other people. They are not aware that the project cooked by people close to the Vice President is even almost close to $300 million. I have here a document of the presentation by the Ministry of Finance themselves that I’ll give to you.

“The proposal put forward by Margins Group to the Minister of Finance and GIS at the beginning was almost close to $300 million. When the entire airport was built for about $250 million. So, this E-gate and border security thing is a scandal. I have here the memos and everything, and I will hand over this to you. The sensitivity analysis based on finance terms that was presented, which I’ll hand over to you, clearly states this. So, for four years, what they were proposing initially was going to be close to $300 million,” he said.

He added, “So, before Ghana Immigration Service speaks, they should get the facts from the Minister of Finance and the people close to the Vice President’s office. They are a tool people are trying to use, so, they can’t; they can’t challenge me. I don’t just get up and speak. If you want to take me on, you need to be careful about your facts.”

Background:

The MP raised concerns over alleged corruption surrounding the government’s decision to contract a private entity for the operation of the newly commissioned E-gate system at Kotoka International Airport (KIA).

The $147 million project, intended to streamline passenger arrivals and reduce processing times, has been criticised for lacking transparency and being fraught with irregularities.

Speaking to journalists in Accra on Wednesday, December 18, 2024, Kwame Governs Agbodza, denounced the agreement as a clear case of “create, loot, and share.”

“Why would an entire airport that cost $250 million to construct be overshadowed by an E-gate service contract worth nearly $147 million?” Agbodza questioned.

According to the Minority Chief Whip, “This is the peak of ‘create, loot, and share.’ People are at the Bank of Ghana attempting to open accounts for the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) to begin collecting this money. The Value for Money (VFM) audit has not even been completed, yet the Immigration Service and the Ministry of Finance are rushing to sign an agreement. This is an illegality.”

Issuing a warning, Agbodza called on civil servants involved in facilitating the agreement to halt the process.

Watch his remarks in the video below:

Bawumia is a thief. E-gate must not cost this much. pic.twitter.com/Px0yMl7fMh

— KOJO DYNAMIC 𓃵 (@AnnanPerry) December 19, 2024