Ministry Of Foreign Affairs Justifies Decision To Spend GH¢7m On A GH¢1m Project

• The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration has justified its decision to spend GH¢7 million on a GH¢1 million project
• This comes after the acting chief director of the ministry, Ambassador Ramses Joseph Cleland, explained to the Public Accounts Committee that the project’s cost was varied because the contractor failed to execute it on time due to his ill-health
• But a statement signed by the ministry denied those claims and took pains to explain why the cost shot up

Following huge public backlash on the variation of the cost of the project, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration has set the records straight on why it spent over GH¢7 million on a project that was expected to cost a little of GH¢1 million cedis.

The Ministry in a statement justified its decision saying the variation was done based on recommendations by the project consultant.

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Ministry of Foreign Affairs varies project cost due to ill-health of contractor

This follows initial claims by the acting chief director of the ministry, Ambassador Ramses Joseph Cleland to the effect that the project was varied because the contractor failed to execute it on time due to ill health.

Appearing before Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee on Friday, January 20, 2023, Ambassador Cleland said the project ground to a halt for several years due to the unavailability of the contractor.

But the ministry says those claims are inaccurate and took pains to explain the increment in the project cost.

Foreign Affairs Ministry sets record straight on project cost variation

The statement said, after stalling for years, the project was revisited in March 2019 and was re-valued upon the request of the consultant to GH¢7,967,886.57 for the same contractor to execute.

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The contract for the rehabilitation of Adu Lodge Guest House was awarded to International Development Resources on March 15, 2007.

The ministry also added that the original award of the contract was to Messrs International Development Resources (IDR) on 15th March 2007 by the Architectural Engineering Services Limited (AESL) which was for the demolishing of 3 buildings that constituted the Lodge.

Years later, the project was reviewed to include other works which did not form part of the initial contract which shot up the project sum.

Ofori-Atta accused of allocating GH¢1.4bn to contingency vote

Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that finance minister Ken Ofori-Atta has been accused of "scandalously" allocating more than GH¢1 billion of the 2023 budget funds into Contingency Vote.

According to the opposition legislator for North Tongu Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the minister has indicated in the 2023 budget statement and economic policy of the Nana Akufo-Addo government that a whopping GH¢1.4 billion into the fund.

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The Contingency Vote is an allocation the minister may draw from for contingency or emergency projects without further Parliamentary approval

Source: YEN.com.gh