The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has tasked the Auditor General to investigate the GHC280.3 million spent by the government for the provision of food, water and sanitation under the Coronavirus Alleviation Programme.
Addressing journalists at the maiden edition of the party’s Weekly Press Briefing in Accra on Monday, the Ranking Member of the Finance Committee of Parliament, Mr Cassiel Ato Forson, called on all stakeholders and the media to hold the government to account on how the amount was spent.
On 8th April 2020, the Minister of Finance, Mr Ken Ofori-Atta, presented to the Finance Committee of Parliament the government’s Coronavirus Alleviation Programme (CAP) in which he indicated that the government was going to spend GHC1.2 billion to reduce the covid-19 impact on the citizens, but the former Finance Minister believes, the government did not spent the said amount for the intended purpose, hence the need for accountability.
The breakdown of the GHC1.2 billion included an allocation of GHC40 million for the provision of food packages and hot meals, and an allocation of GHC40 million to Ghana Buffer Stock Company for the provision of dry food to support vulnerable communities in lockdown areas.
Another GHC200 million was allocated for the provision of water and sanitation, including the mobilisation of all publicly and privately owned water tankers to ensure the supply of water to all vulnerable communities totalling GHC280.3 million.
Mr Ato Forson said it is unacceptable that, since the lifting of the partial lockdown, the government has turned a blind eye on the expectations of the public.
Mr Ato Forson believes that,’ the low coverage and haphazard implementation of these interventions during the lockdown period, specifically the distribution of free hot meals and dry food to the vulnerable, as well as the supply of tankers of water to deprived households, give us cause for concern that these funds were not judiciously utilised by the government”, he added.
“Indeed, we have in our possession, an audio recording from Kumasi based Silva FM, in which Market women at Tafo Pankrono have confirmed that eggs meant for the vulnerable under the CAP have been diverted and sold on the market by persons associated with certain government functionaries in the area”, he said.
He said, the government cannot hide behind the covid-19 to engage in profligate expenditure.
He said “only last week, we found out that the government is printing GHC10 billion through the Bank of Ghana to finance the budget on the blind side of Parliament and without any legitimate justification”.
“Indeed, Governor of the Bank of Ghana has confirmed that the first tranche of GHC5.5 billion has already been advanced to the government in clear violation of the Bank of Ghana Act, 2002 (Act 612) and the Public Financial Management Act, 2016 (Act 921), Mr Ato Forson added
Godfred Sey/Ahotoronline.com
