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Opposition politicians are labeling the contracts as ‘over-priced’, and anti-corruption advocates are demanding stricter laws on political influence in state procurement. The recent corruption controversy in Ghana over an ambulance spare parts contract was sparked by Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, an opposition Member of Parliament for North Tongu, who accuses President Nana Akufo-Addo’s daughters of leveraging their influence to secure profitable contracts.
Gyankroma Akufo-Addo and Edwina Akufo-Addo are accused by Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa of leveraging their connections to secure maintenance contracts for Service Ghana Auto Group Limited, a company associated with their business partner and the father of Gyankroma’s child, Stephen Okoro.
The firm won a bid in 2020 to provide after-sales service for 305 Mercedes-Benz ambulances purchased in 2019. Ablakwa has criticized the contract awarded this year for supplying spare parts to the ambulances, labeling it an “unconscionable sweetheart deal.”
Ablakwa, in an interview, stated, “These individuals are politically exposed persons with connections to the president’s family. They are involved in unconscionable inflationary pricing, enriching themselves at the expense of the Ghanaian public.”
He further mentioned, “This is a discredited company, indicted in the Auditor General’s report and ordered to return funds to the state for over-invoicing. Nevertheless, they received a $34.9 million contract just as [Finance Minister] Ken Ofori-Atta was leaving office, with a portion already paid.”
Ablakwa also noted that Akufo-Addo’s daughters and Okoro are involved in several other business ventures together, including Accra-based Goodbox Limited, SFO Limited, and Good Grow Limited, a company that cultivates and sells cannabis.
An official at the Office of the Special Prosecutor confirmed that an investigation into the allegations is underway, with all involved parties, including Ablakwa, being questioned.
Ablakwa has confirmed that he has been interrogated by the office. The Special Prosecutor is investigating Ablakwa’s allegations of fraud and lack of transparency in procurement.
Service Ghana Auto Group Limited has denied any misconduct in obtaining the contract. “Apart from Okoro being a director in one of the seven companies that formed a consortium to win the bid, a detail publicly available at the Registrar of Companies, neither the Consortium, its constituent companies, nor SGAGL have the alleged associations, nor have they committed any wrongdoing,” the company stated.
Gyankroma Akufo-Addo, who is at the heart of the controversy, has declined to comment on the matter.
She has been accused by opposition politicians of leveraging her influence to secure government contracts for private companies she is associated with, following her appointment as the executive secretary of the Creative Arts Agency by her father in 2017.
In 2019, Gyankroma was implicated in securing a $2.4 million contract to transport 120 football fans to the African Cup of Nations in Egypt, a claim denied by Ghana’s Ministry of Sports.
In 2022, she was accused by detractors of receiving a $25 million contract from the government for Accra’s ‘beautification.’
As the executive secretary of the Creative Arts Agency, she asserts that the agency independently raised the funds for the “beautification” contract. Gyankroma has refuted all accusations of misconduct, labeling them as “complete fabrications.”
Edem Senanu, co-chair of the Citizen Movement Against Corruption, has suggested that an investigation into the recent claims would clarify the situation.
Senanu, who has expressed concern over the impact of political connections on public procurement, is worried about the lack of legal penalties for officials found in conflict-of-interest scenarios.
He points out that this situation presents potential conflict of interest issues, and it is crucial to examine the procurement process to determine whether the interests of all involved parties were disclosed.
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