The Minority Caucus in Parliament has raised serious concerns over the Ghanaian government's alleged payment of $2 million to Africa Investor Holdings Limited, a firm in Mauritius, for the Accra Sky Train Project without the necessary parliamentary and public procurement approvals.
Additionally, the government's investment of over $20 million in the Accra City Pullman Hotel project, with no work on-site for almost two years, has come under scrutiny.
Addressing journalists in Parliament, the Minority Chief Whip, Governs Agbodza, strongly criticized the government's handling of public funds, demanding an investigation into the apparent financial losses. He questioned the processes leading to the authorization of the payment to Africa Investor Holdings Limited.
Mr. Agbodza expressed his concerns, stating, “Before the company even started feasibility studies, someone in government had decided to pay $2 million to this entity, and somewhere this year, Joe Ghartey said he has never said the government was going to fund the sky train project, and I am not sure he was reading what he had written because what was the $2 million meant for?”
Furthermore, the Auditor General's report raised doubts about the company's license to operate the system it intended to introduce. This has led to questions regarding the reasons behind the government's decision to provide the company with the funds and who authorized the payment.
The Minority Chief Whip condemned the apparent lack of due diligence in such financial transactions, saying, “It was wrong to take any decision to pay that money, and so who authorized the payment in terms of the so-called feasibility, and which normal entity pays out $2 million for a feasibility study before the project is determined whether it is bankable, and so these things only happen when there is organized crime. When people are careless and reckless, and I think the minimum the Auditor General can do is to call for a refund.”