Kwame Agbodza is the Minoority Chief Whip in Parliament
The Minority Chief Whip in Parliament, Kwame Governs Agbodza, has raised concerns about the $147 million e-gate system that the government wants to engage a private entity on, for activation at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA).
He fumed over why the entire airport construction would cost a total of $250 million, while an e-gate, which is a smaller portion of the main project, would cost $147 million.
The Minority Chief Whip accused the President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo-led government of being involved in a “create, loot, and share” agenda to make money as they prepare to hand over power to John Dramani Mahama.
“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,” he fumed.
Agbodza warned the Ministry of Finance and the Bank of Ghana to desist from processing the alleged $147 million or face consequences if the National Democratic Congress (NDC) assumes power.
“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 specializes 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,” he added.
Meanwhile, the e-gate project, which was commissioned by Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, aims to streamline passenger arrivals and reduce turnaround times.
After the December 2024 polls, there have been security concerns across the country. Catch Etsey Atisu’s interview with security analyst, Adib Saani, on Election Desk on GhanaWeb TV below:
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