New documents shared by North Tongu Member of Parliament, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, reveal that President Nana Akufo-Addo’s administration awarded a substantial state contract to associates of his two daughters, raising serious concerns about nepotism.
The focus of the controversy is a $34.9 million deal for ambulance spare parts related to the procurement of 307 Mercedes Benz buses by Service Ghana Auto Group Limited. This company is partly owned by Stephen Okoro and Alvin Mensa, who have close personal and business ties to the President’s daughters, Gyakroma Akufo-Addo and Edwina Nana Dokua Akufo-Addo.
Questions have been raised about the expertise of Service Ghana Auto Group Limited. Stephen Okoro, identified as Gyakroma Akufo-Addo’s “baby daddy” and a business partner in several ventures linked to the President’s family, including Edwina, who is married to Maxwell Kofi Jumah’s son, has come under scrutiny. Despite the involvement of seven directors, Okoro and Mensa stand out due to their longstanding personal and professional connections to the President’s daughters.
Further complicating the matter, Dr. Christian Siaw-Missah, who signed documents on behalf of the company as managing director, is not listed in the incorporation papers.
Stephen Okoro, a beneficiary of the contract to purchase the 307 Mercedes Benz buses for the One-Ambulance-One-Constituency initiative at $54.3 million, is not only Gyankroma Akufo-Addo’s baby daddy but also her schoolmate from Ghana International School.
Service Ghana Auto Group Limited was poised to receive an additional $34.9 million contract for spare parts to service the ambulances, authorized by Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta, Gyakroma’s uncle, before he left office in February 2024.
Ablakwa’s revelations extend to multiple business ventures involving Gyakroma, Edwina, and Stephen Okoro. They jointly own companies such as Goodbox Limited, which runs a gym, and SFO Initiative Limited, which focuses on building and road construction, civil engineering, and food and cross-farming. Another company, Good Grow Limited, is involved in the cultivation and processing of cannabis.
Stephen Okoro is also reported to be the half-brother of actress Yvonne Okoro, with two other brothers, Richard and Solomon Okoro, who are also business partners with the President’s daughters. Their ventures span various industries, including mining, publishing, microfinancing, civil engineering, and road construction.
Notably, many of these companies list their addresses as the Nima private residence of President Akufo-Addo.
Another prominent name in these dealings is Alvin Mensa, who, along with Stephen Okoro, is associated with Service Ghana Auto Group Limited. The other directors listed, Oussman Inusah, Kalilu Dauda, Mohammed Nurulhaq, Charles Oppong-Kyekyeku, and Samuel Bannerman, are suspected by some to be fictitious.
The Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng, has acknowledged receipt of a petition from Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa regarding the $34.9 million spare parts deal awarded to Service Auto Group Ghana Limited. The anti-corruption agency has indicated that the petition will be acted upon if it falls within its jurisdiction.
As the allegations of nepotism and corruption continue to surface, the call for thorough investigations into these deals grows louder, demanding accountability and transparency from the highest levels of government.
HOW THE SAME AKUFO-ADDO’S AMBULANCE SPARE PARTS CABAL USED DIFFERENT COMPANIES TO PROCURE THE 307 WILDLY INFLATED AMBULANCES IN A US$108MILLION HEIST
Unimpeachable, irrefutable and irreproachable parliamentary oversight has finally smoked out the hidden characters behind the… pic.twitter.com/TuRcqO0PXY
— Sam Okudzeto Ablakwa (@S_OkudzetoAblak) July 30, 2024
Source: tigpost.com
