Governor Addison Has ‘Hooliganistic Appetite For Single-sourcing’ Contracts- Ablakwa

The investigative Member of Parliament for the people of North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has yet uncovered what he described as “a profligate and vulgar spending spree on fantasy projects” by the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia goverment during the 2020 election capaign.

According to the lawmaker, the Bank of Ghana under the leadership of Governor Dr Ernest Addison made the construction of a 50-bed guest house in Tamale a priority in 2020 during the peak of COVID-19 where other central banks globally were more concerened about monetary policy interventions to help mitigate the negative impact of the disease on their economies.

He fingered the Bank of Ghana Governor for superintending single sourcing for projects and stated that, fresh documents available to him attests to the claim.

The documents he noted indicates that “Dr. Addison appears to have a hooliganistic appetite for single-source and restricted tendering so much so that NONE of the procurements under his watch have been competitive”.

The lawmaker said the Bank used a single sourced method to award the lavish guest house project at a staggering cost of GHS139.9million to De Simone Limited.

Mr Ablakwa who has become a vigilante lawmaker in the exercise of his parliamentary oversight responsibilities made this new revealation in a post on his facebook page Tuesday January 16, 2024.

Read the full post below:

We all have to be extra vigilant this election year.

Newly obtained documents I am poring over reveal how the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government went on a profligate and vulgar spending spree on fantasy projects during the 2020 electioneering campaign.

Consider this classic example (as attached) of how during the 2020 elections, and at the peak of COVID-19 when other central banks across the world were focused on monetary policy interventions to mitigate the adverse economic impact of covid, our Addison-led central bank shockingly made the construction of a 50-bed guest house in Tamale a priority.

Even more puzzling, they single sourced the lavish guest house project at a staggering cost of GHS139.9million to De Simone Limited.

The fresh documents in my possession show that Dr. Addison appears to have a hooliganistic appetite for single-source and restricted tendering so much so that NONE of the procurements under his watch have been competitive.

The venerable Togbe Afede XIV was obviously right when he wrote in his latest op-ed that the BoG has failed us.

Remember that in opposition, the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia ticket condemned single source procurements and argued that it was a veritable conduit for corruption.

Without principle and scruples, they are now the all-time champions of grand single source procurements.

It is most instructive to note that payments for other infamous wasteful Akufo-Addo-legacy projects such as the US$450million National Cathedral fiasco and the US$222.7million BoG Head Office all commenced during the electioneering campaign of 2020.

The Akufo-Addo/Bawumia single-source-procurement-regime will be planning similar “lootocratic” schemes ahead of the December 7 elections — it is our patriotic duty to stop them in their tracks.

May God help us.

For God and Country.

Ghana First

By: Christian Kpesese/www.eagleghana.com