Davis Ansah Opoku, the member of parliament for Mpraeso has stated the Minister for Communications, Digital Technology, and Innovations, Samuel Nartey George is not being truthful to Ghanaians about National Information Technology Agency (NITA) finances.
Samuel Nartey George in a press conference revealed NITA has only GHS25.08 in its Bank of Ghana account but owes over GHS813 million.
The sector minister in a press conference yesterday accused the former Akufo-Addo Bawumia administration of engaging in a third-party contract that allegedly diverts revenue from the National Information Technology Agency (NITA).
Speaking to the media on Monday, March 24 Sam George stated, “National Information Technology Agency (NITA), for example, has 25 Ghana Cedis, 8 pesewas as its bank balance at the Bank of Ghana. Meanwhile, the agency owes GHC813,486,505.89. This is the ministry we took over”.
“NITA has a certain contract arrangement with a third-party vendor. I have summoned that third-party vendor to appear before me tomorrow because I do not understand how all the revenue coming to NITA is being redirected. The previous administration signed a contract that diverts all of these funds, giving them to a third party,” he alleged.
Sam George further noted, “The payment for services using NITA’s infrastructure, which I was supposed to approve to a third-party company, was almost four million Ghana Cedis. I have refused to sign it and have referred it to the Attorney General.
“I will not authorise such payments until I understand why NITA is not receiving a dime while a private sector player is using NITA’s infrastructure and earning almost four million Ghana Cedis. Meanwhile, all the debt is sitting on NITA’s books while the revenue goes to the private sector”
Meanwhile, reacting to Sam George’s press conference, Davis Ansah Opoku stated, “I think that Sam George is being disingenuous. He is not being truthful to the Ghanaian people. He is aware that in January, the Minister for Finance, in an attempt to pay off bonds, instructed the Controller and Accountant General to sweep funds from state agencies’ accounts”.
He further explained, “So in February, the Controller and Accountant General removed all monies that were being held for and on behalf of state agencies, some by BoG.
“In fact, when that happened on February 4, the management of NITA wrote a letter to the Finance Minister through the Minister for Communications, explaining that they have obligations.
“…The Minister goes further to say that there is a huge debt hanging over the agency, which he knows is not true”, the MP stated.
