Minority Chief Whip and the Member of Parliament for Adaklu Governs Agbodza, has raised serious red flags over the government’s $147 million contract for the activation of the new E-gate system at Kotoka International Airport (KIA).
Agboza has warned civil servants against proceeding with the deal, citing potential issues of transparency and alleged corruption.
The project, which aims to enhance the efficiency of passenger arrivals and reduce turnaround times at KIA, has been met with skepticism from the Minority in Parliament.
They claim the agreement is fraught with irregularities and lacks the necessary transparency, raising concerns over the handling of such a significant investment.
Minority Chief Whip Governs Agbodza, speaking to journalists in Accra on Wednesday, harshly criticized the government’s decision to engage a private entity for the E-gate system.
He described the arrangement as a classic case of “create, loot, and share,” a term used to highlight potential corruption within public contracts.
The $147 million deal, while intended to streamline airport operations, has become a point of contention, with opposition MPs calling for greater scrutiny and accountability in the execution of the project.
The Minority is now calling for an investigation into the deal to ensure that public funds are used appropriately and that there are no hidden interests behind the contract.
“Why on earth would the whole airport, which cost $250 million to build? And you will be trying to get into an agreement with an entity to run an e-gate service for almost $147 million.
This can be at the peak of create, loot and share…people are at the Bank of Ghana trying to open an account for GIS and others to start collecting this money.
The VFM is not even out. The Immigration Service and Ministry of Finance are trying to sign an agreement. The warning is this, this is an illegality.”
“Do not proceed and every civil servant who is involved in a hasty decision to sign an agreement with this entity.
I’ve decided not to mention the entity. But this entity specialises in getting soft money from DVLA, the passport office, the National Identification Authority, and other things.
“This time around, it’s not going to happen. So, Bank of Ghana, Ministry of Finance, Ghana Immigration Service, by the laws that we pass in this house, that activity was not supposed to be, I mean, an operation by the Ghana Immigration Service.
It’s an integrated service that is supposed to be provided at the airport.”
Agbodza emphasized that the E-gate system is an integrated service meant to enhance operations at the airport and should not incur such exorbitant costs.
“The e-gate cannot be $147 million just for the provision of service when the entire airport costs $250 million,” Agbodza stated.
MP for Adaklu Constituency in the Volta Region, Kwame Agboza has raised red flags over the $147 million KIA e-gate contract, warning civil servants not to proceed with the deal#3NewsGH pic.twitter.com/JvMdaJKINz
— #3NewsGH (@3NewsGH) December 18, 2024
