The 10-year contract that the government has with Strategic Mobilization Ghana Limited (SML) is being opposed by John Jinapor, the ranking member of Parliament’s Mines and Energy Committee, who calls it “inimical” to the interests of the country.
Ken Ofori-Atta, the head of the Finance Ministry, gave SML a contract extension worth up to ¢24 million a month.
As per the agreement, SML is responsible for keeping an eye on and reporting instances of fuel product diversion and dilution, in addition to general noncompliance within the petroleum sector.
Previously, the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) was in charge of this duty. The contract was seriously questioned by the Fourth Estate in an investigative report.
Speaking on JoyNews’ PM Express regarding the development, Mr. Jinapor, who was clearly passionate about the subject, voiced his worries about the financial strain Ghanaians were under, saying, “Somebody is making so much money on the backs of the sweat of Ghanaians. This contract is inimical. This contract must not stand, and people with a conscience, people who love this country, irrespective of their political colour must pick against this contract. It is bad, it is not good, and will not stand the test of time.”
The Yapei-Kusawgu lawmaker went on to connect the contentious contracts in question with the country’s economic problems, claiming that by addressing leakages that result from awarding these kinds of contracts, the need for outside financial assistance—including assistance from the International Monetary Fund (IMF)—could be reduced.
“I feel very sad and I am asking Ken Ofori-Atta, ‘Why would you do that?’ If Ghana were your company, would you sign this deal?” he quizzed.
The lawmaker claimed that NPA’s internal mechanisms, which have been shown to be reliable, could have handled the task that SML was assigned to complete.
In the meantime, a petition has been filed asking the Special Prosecutor to look into the $1 billion revenue assurance contract in the gold mining, upstream, and downstream petroleum sectors, which involves the Finance Ministry, the Ghana Revenue Authority, and Strategic Mobilization Ghana Limited.
The petition was filed by Manasseh Azure Awuni, Editor-in-Chief of The Fourth Estate, who clarified that the OSP had promised action.
He claims that the petition aims to look into the transaction for potential corruption and procurement law violations.
