Ghana@50 Celebrations Probe

Stephen Odoi-Larbi

The Commission of Inquiry into the celebrations of Ghana@50 has noted that the lackadaisical attitude of Coordinating Directors at the various Assemblies is affecting the country’s development.

The Commission, presided over by Justice Isaac Duose, expressed dismay over the attitude of the directors at the helm of affairs at the Metropolitan and Municipal Assemblies.

The Commission said since its inception about a month ago, all the directors that have appeared before it to give account of monies meant for the celebrations in their respective jurisdictions had shown little or no commitment in the discharge of their duties.

"I find it quite alarming that each and every one of you seem so comfortable with the deductions from your Common Funds without really knowing what it is for. Nobody has bothered to find out what these deductions are for, and what the unit cost of the items that were supplied to the Assemblies are? You all admitted that the Common Fund is for development, but what you’ve demonstrated shows that you don’t know the purpose of the Common Fund", noted

Mrs. Marietta Brew Appiah-Oppong, a member of the Commission of the Ghana@50 probe. The Commission was reacting to submissions from the Offinso South Municipal Assembly when its Deputy Coordinating Director, Mr. Douglas Nana Kwaku Annoful appeared before it for questioning yesterday, in Accra.

This was after four Assemblies had earlier testified before it.

The Commission, having listened to submissions made by the Assemblies faulted them for not showing interest in the price per unit of the items and souvenirs delivered to them by the Ghana@50 Secretariat.

For instance, two of the Assemblies, namely Offinso South and Mampong Assemblies in the process of preparing their memoranda to the Commission realized that their assemblies had suffered unnecessary deductions from their share of the Common Fund by the Ghana@50 Secretariat, which to them was affecting their budgetary allocations.

This, the Commission believed could have realized if the Assembly had show concern and commitment in the discharge of their duties. Meanwhile the Metro Coordinating Director of Kumasi, Edward Afari Gyem in his submission before the Commission gave account of how GH¢10,000.00 and some items received by the Assembly from the Ghana@50 Secretariat was used.

He told the Commission how the Assembly distributed 260 pieces of clothes meant for the celebration, out of which he said 130 were given to what he described as the general public and the other 130 to those on protocol list of the Assembly, including traditional leaders and the Regional Security. According to him, the Assembly received great competition from the private sector and in the process, could not afford selling the items (T-shirts and NBA caps) received, hence sold only a few and distributed the rest for free to individuals who could not be identified.

He told the Commission that a total of 199 T-shirts were distributed to the public for free, but the GH¢ 1,400.00 proceeds that was realized from the sale of the rest of the T-shirts, as well as some items, were deposited into a depository account at the Bank of Ghana in Kumasi.

The Commission was not convinced with Mr. Afari Gyem’s submission and demanded for more answers. "I don’t believe you with all due respect. I simply do not believe you", recounted Mrs. Appiah-Oppong.

According to Mr. Afari Gyem, the Assembly did not receive any directives from the Ghana@50 Secretariat to sell the T-shirts and NBA caps, but admitted to have received a communiqué for accountability of the items submitted to the Assembly.

The Commission, having listened carefully to Mr. Afari Gyem’s submission concluded that "Staff of KMA and associated members enjoyed the items and souvenirs submitted to the Assembly for free".

But Mr. Afari Gyem, in response to the Commissions statement noted that the Assembly’s actions were based on orders received from the District Chief Executive who has the oversight responsibility of the Assembly.

He however reaffirmed that "Coordinating directors are endangered species in the hands of politicians" when the Chairman of the Commission, Mr. Isaac Duose sympathized with him.

Mr. Afari Gyem was accompanied by Mr. Justice Kingsley Ofori, Metro Finance Director of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly.

Officials of the Mampong and Sewfi Akontombra Municipal Assemblies also gave accounts of how they utilized monies and items delivered to them by the Ghana@50 Secretariat during the celebrations. After their submissions, the Commission realized that there was so much debt with regards to souvenirs that were supplied.

The Commission was instituted a month ago at the instance of President John Mills to investigate the appropriation of some $72 million incurred during the Ghana@50 celebration in 2007.