A number of contracts signed in the last days of the Mahama administration are being reviewed to ensure that the country gets value for money, the Senior Minister, Mr Yaw Osafo-Maafo, has revealed.
He explained that the review had become necessary because the government did not want the country to be saddled with judgement debts.
“We are taking these agreements now, one by one, under the able leadership of the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Ms Gloria Akuffo.
“One of the problems we are facing today as a new government is that many contracts were signed in the last 14 days of the Mahama administration,” he said.
The Senior Minister, who was speaking at an Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) programme on the implementation of the Presidential Transition Act, said it was not only at the central government level that contracts were awarded in the dying days of the Mahama administration; it was also done at the level of institutions such as the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD).
Judgement debts
“If you don’t take care, you could run this country into all kinds of judgement debts because these agreements have been signed and may be legally binding and certain provisions are there to be met. You can’t just come and say you are abrogating them. Some of the conditions are such that you can’t also implement them,” he explained.
Mr Osafo-Maafo said the situation was “a complete waste of effort, time and man hours. We shouldn’t have signed them in the first instance”.
“We have quite a lot we are looking at. We have a very powerful Transition Act with dos and don’ts. There should be transparency about the law as we move from one administration to the other. After all, many countries go through transitions and they do so quietly and diligently. I don’t see why we should bother ourselves with all kinds of problems,” he said.
He made a strong case for the amendment of the Presidential Transition Act to make it more useful.
“This Transition Act needs serious amendments. If we want it to be useful, then we should all apply our minds to it,” Mr Osafo-Maafo said.
He said it was not for nothing that during transitions in the US, there was a term called ‘Lame duck President’.
“You are an outgoing President, but your functions are literally taken away from you in respect of many important issues. You are waiting for an incoming administration. The day-to-day running of the country can go ahead, but you don’t do anything that is of significance.
“We need to have it clear in the law — what can be done and what cannot be done, such as employment and contracts,” Mr Osafo-Maafo suggested.
Administrator-General
Mr Osafo-Maafo also suggested that the Administrator-General should be among Article 70 office holders to make resources available to his office to track state assets.
The Transition Act was an initiative of the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) and the Ghana Political Parties Programme. It was passed in 2013 and first used after the 2012 elections but an amendment to the law passed by the last Parliament was not assented to by former President John Dramani Mahama.
A Senior Research Fellow of the IEA, Dr Michael Ofori Mensah, observed that some progress had been made where the laws were applied, but there were also instances when the law was not applied.
“The challenges which emerged during the handing over need to be addressed to ensure that an effective transition remains integral to the governance system in the country,” he said.
The roundtable was meant to make a detailed assessment of the 2017 transition, evaluating what worked well and what did not to identify the areas that needed a fine-tuning of the law in order to improve its practical implementation.
The MP for Offinso South and Chairman of Parliament’s Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee, Mr Ben Abdalah Bandah, agreed to an IEA suggestion that the Administrator-General’s role needed to be strengthened and the office made to report to Parliament annually or every six months on the state’s assets.
Last-minute contracts
According to media reports, by December 23, 2016 when the NDC had lost the December 7 elections, COCOBOD’s sole-sourced contracts alone amounted to GH¢120,253,117.04, equivalent to $27,606,317.04.
Another contract worth $159,396,000 was sole-sourced, along with another for 1.5 million pounds sterling ($1.957,070.71).
On January 6, the COCOBOD management awarded a restricted tendering contract of GH¢1,138,272,377.42 ($261,311,381.41) and another restricted tendering contract for $62,654,604.10.
Apart from the contracts, then President Mahama also made some key appointments which incurred the displeasure of the incoming administration led by then President-elect, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
The new appointees were Mr Joseph Whittal, Ms Josephine Nkrumah and Mr Daniel Domelovo, who were to head the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), the National Commission for Civic Education and the Auditor-General’s Office, respectively.
Source: Daily Graphic
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Reports indicate a rise in the number of stray dogs in the country especially in the Accra Tema megapolis. Along oxford st. stray dogs can be seen. A number of people have been bitten or chased by these dogs. The latest report was from the plush and respected Sakumono neighborhood. This must come to an end in Akufo-Addo's first 100 years in office.
Is this man the president or what. Every news is broken by him. And most of the time everything he says turns out to be false or cabinet have not decided on it. Nana Addo should be careful about him. He may end up being stabbed in the back by this guy, who have made barwumia virtually nonexistent. It looks as if all that the president is doing is appointing ministers whiles this guy is portraying himself as the president. He needs to keep quiet and rein in ministers who may be found wanton. His job is not to act as president. The attorney general who is the minister has not said a word on this matter, neither has the president, so why will this guy be jumping the gun when the president and ministers responsible for various ministries have not spoken on any decision taken.
Whoever spoke for the Over 200 trainee nurses picket at Health Ministry; demanding lift on employment ban on Peace 12:00 News is the most F0OOLISH individual to lead any group. If this guy is a trained nurse then the Government should be careful in posting them. i think they need to be re-train. How could you speak so loosely without any application of common sense? You don't hit the top of the head if your hand is in someone's mouth. Now you have insulted & spoken ill about this new Health Minister who is not even spend 100 days at the office, what next? You are not civilised at all. How could you attack a whole minister that bad? What did he do wrong? This is an insult on the president who appointed him, the Parliament who vetted him etc. I'm sure the whole Ghana heard you and know the sort of people or person you are. I don't think that person has parents at home. An iddiottt.
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We now have a government
WE NOW HAVE A GOVERNMENT FOR THE PEOPLE NOT A GOVERNMENT FOR THEMSELVES, POCKETS AND CHOOOP CHOOP.
I tell you Mahama and NDC did that to tie the hands of NPP at their back. This clearly show that NDC of today have evil thinking for NPP and Ghana. And they go to Parliament and radio station to argue on WHAT. NYARRTWUM PEOPLE
They should alll be jailed and the contracts cancelled, do not let these wicked ,greedy bastards go free, they have no shame ,sitting on the radio running their fowl mouths ,they ll all ROT in jail nd in hell for all the killings starting from the 80s to now ,judgement will come swiftly by the sword of Almighty God upon NDC and all their wicked plots Amen .
ISsiue, u see ur mind , u intentionally did that for judgement debt to follow.i can see ure not educated.They may be arrested and the contracts will be reviewed and will not attract any judgement debt. Its too bad if its true for them to have done that. Too too too bad. i work in a public institution and government said IMF said they should not employ and immediately after Election 2016, my institution employs 20 new staff each day, shocking. No increment in salaries for 4 years but immediately after election, 20% across-board on December 20th , 2016 and came back again in January 2017 to increase it to 25%. Shocking and mere wickedness. God punish them
John Dramani Mahama is greedy greedy greedy corrupt corrupt corrupt thif thif thif.