Member of Parliament for North Tongu Constituency in the Volta Region, for the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Samuel Okudzeto-Ablakwa has disclosed that the newly leaked documents in his possession can reveal that Ghana spent over GHS32 million of taxpayer funds on the renovation of three major national sports stadia, with the contracts awarded to companies linked to individuals close to President Nana Akufo-Addo.
According to the legislature, this presidential family member responsible for stadium rehabilitations is, Mr. Kelvin Ofori-Atta, a cousin to the president and former Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta.
Despite the spending, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has prohibited the country’s stadiums from hosting international games, raising concerns about the standard of the completed work.
An in-depth investigation by Mr. Ablakwa revealed that the funds were misused, resulting in Ghana not receiving value for the money spent.
He believes this ban could have been prevented if the renovations had been conducted properly.
In a tweet on X, Mr Ablakwa stated that the emerging details point to alleged corruption and nepotism, with the contracts benefiting individuals connected to the president and other high-ranking officials.
“Remember that Kelvin Ofori-Atta is the owner of Coupbay and Cisdan, the two companies awarded a sweetheart deal to rehabilitate the Accra Sports Stadium and the Essipong Sports Stadium” he said giving the breakdown.
Here is an interesting breakdown:
1. On March 18, 2019 — Kelvin Ofori-Atta’s Coupbay was paid GHS6,006,868.44 to rehabilitate the Accra Sports Stadium;
2. On June 18, 2020 — Kelvin Ofori-Atta’s Coupbay was paid another GHS10,662,700.28 to rehabilitate the Accra Sports Stadium;
3. On March 10, 2021 — Kelvin Ofori-Atta’s Coupbay was again paid GHS4,754,829.56 to rehabilitate the Accra Sports Stadium;
4. On May 27, 2022 — Kelvin Ofori-Atta’s Coupbay was paid an additional GHS4,325,539.84 to rehabilitate the Accra Sports Stadium;
5. On December 29, 2023 — Kelvin Ofori-Atta’s Cisdan was paid GHS6,511,245.66 to rehabilitate the Essipong Sports Stadium.
These 5 Payment Vouchers alone amount to a staggering payment of GHS32,261,183.78.
“Never in our history have we had a government that spends so much to solve a problem only for that problem to get worse. Another lesson from this infamous international disgrace Ghana has suffered is that it is always difficult, if not virtually impossible to demand performance and to obtain value for money in conflict of interest transactions” he said.
