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.

Ghana’s leading digital news platform, GhanaWeb, in conjunction with the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, is embarking on an aggressive campaign which is geared towards ensuring that parliament passes comprehensive legislation to guide organ harvesting, organ donation, and organ transplantation in the country.

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