General News of Tuesday, 25 February 2020

Source: starrfm.com.gh

GETfund saga: Deputy Agric Mininster gives Auditor-General 24 hours to apologise

Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Kennedy Nyarko Osei Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Kennedy Nyarko Osei

The Member of Parliament (MP) for Akim Swedru and Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Kennedy Nyarko Osei has given the Auditor-General Daniel Yaw Domelevo a 24-hour ultimatum to retract and apologise to him for including his name in the list GETfund beneficiaries.

In a letter addressed to the Auditor-General by lawyers of the legislator Thursday, the legislator said Mr Domelevo should have known there was a problem with his inclusion because no money was attached to it.

The letter accused the Auditor-General of being unprofessional and malicious in his work.

It has emerged that some MPs and government officials were given scholarships from the GETfund scholarship secretariat to embark on courses abroad.

The mandate of the GETFund is to grant scholarships to brilliant but needy Ghanaians.

The list including some members of parliament and deputy ministers are contained in the audited report of the auditor general on the Getfund scholarship secretariat.

The Dome MP and procurement minister Adwoa Safo applied and obtained $12,800 in allowances with $17,004 in tuition fees to study at the Harvard Kennedy school.

The Executive Secretary of the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA), Prince Hamidu Armah also received £38,400 for living expense in addition to £33,000 for tuition fees, While Education minister Mathew Opoku Prempeh, who listed at number 38, is receiving $12,800 for living expenses and $11,200 as tuition fees at security course at Harvard University.

The Education Minister and the Executive Secretary of the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment have explained they secured the scholarship before coming into public office.