The Minority has intensified calls for an audit of expenditures related to the 2023 Africa Games hosted in Ghana earlier this year.
This comes after the Youth and Sports Minister Mustapha Ussif, praised the games as successful without providing a detailed financial account.
Minority Members of Parliament including North Tongu MP, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa and the Minority Leader, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson criticised the Minister for failing to disclose how public funds were utilised.
According to Mr Ablakwa, there has been no breakdown of how the money was used despite expenditures exceeding the approved budget.
Speaking on the floor of parliament, he said, “I have gone through the entire 15-page statement that the honourable minister has presented. There is no mention of how much this country has spent on the games. What is honourable minister concealing from this house? What is he hiding?"
"Why can't we be told? Already we have raised concerns about the huge expenditure way beyond what this house approved. We know that $195 million was spent on infrastructure. We intercepted documents that revealed that they had budgeted to spend $48 million on so-called operational expenses.
"We have not less than 245 million US dollars for this whole hosting of events and committed close to $195 million for infrastructure development,” he said.
Minority leader, Cassiel Ato Forson said, “We know for sure $15 million was allocated to a company called M and L Company Limited for 18 days of feeding."
"That amounts to 226 million cedis for 18 days. You cannot come here and deliver a statement without accounting for $15 million for 18 days. This is public money.”
On his part, the former Majority Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, stated that the constitution provides that accounting for the usage of public funds requires time.
“What it means that after the event, you cannot say that within two weeks or three weeks, the minister should be able to come before this house and explain everything. The minority leader fortunately is an accountant and he understands these things.”
However, the Majority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin stated that the Minority Leader cannot demand an audit now.
“They have finished their work. Instead of commending the minister for a good job that you want to use the opportunity to critique and say things that are not factual.”
Meanwhile, the youth and sports Minister has assured that he would account for every cedi spent on the games.
“We are not hiding anything. I want that clarity to be made. Every cedi is going to be accounted for. Be rest assured. Rather you should congratulate team Ghana, because so far we have not seen the minority issue any statement in congratulating the sportsmen and women who fought very hard in lifting the flag of the country very high. Neither did the leadership of the majority or even the ranking member or even the committee for the sports.”
Credit: Emmauella Sarfo-Ntow