The GYEEDA Scandal: How Ayariga Wanted Gh�220,000 Splashed On C�tee!

Fresh documents in possession of The New Crusading GUIDE seem to give credence to long held perception that the setting up of various committees to investigate alleged corruption and breaches of the law, have been rather a drain on the economy than helping solve perennial problems confronting the country.

This paper can state on authority that Mahama Ayariga, a former Minister of Youth and Sports made strenuous efforts to get members of the Ministerial Impact Assessment Committee on GYEEDA paid a whopping amount of Two Hundred and Twenty Two Thousand Ghana Cedis (Gh¢220,000) as Honorarium and Imprest.

At the commencement of the review, the Five-Member Committee was given an amount of Fifty Thousand Ghana Cedis (GH¢50.000) accountable imprest at the instance of Elvis Afriyie Ankrah, who was then the Youth and Sports Minister.

At the end of the assignment, which lasted for about three months, Mr. Ayariga who had then taken over from Mr. Afriyie-Ankrah wrote a letter dated 2nd March, 2015 to the Ghana Youth Employment and Entrepreneurial Development Agency (GYEEDA) requesting that each Committee member be paid GH¢30,000.00 as Honorarium amounting to GH¢150,000.00. The two supporting staff were each to receive GH¢10,000.00 also as Honorarium. The proposed Honorarium was aside the GH¢50,000.00 accountable imprest.

Meanwhile, the State provided means of transportation and accommodation any time the Committee moved into the regions.

After back and forth, and some heated debates GYEEDA eventually spent an amount of GH¢76,000.00 instead of the total GH¢220,000 which was earlier requested by Mr. Ayariga. The final payment, according to documents sighted by this paper, was made on 2nd May, 2015.

The Ministerial Impact Assessment Committee was formed to investigate financial irregularities and challenges at GYEEDA and was inaugurated on 12th April, 2013.

Mr. Elvis Afriyie-Ankrah, during the inauguration, said the committee was mandated to review the regulatory framework of GYEEDA.

It was also expected to carry out an in-depth investigation to determine possible irregularities of crime and related financial losses, as well as actions taken by management to recover possible embezzled money and other assets.

Members of the Committee included: Mr. Ferdinand Gunn, Senior Partner, Ernst and Young, Mr. Edward Amuzu Tuinese, Lawyer and Lead Consultant, Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice and Mr. Randolph Nsor-Mbala, Consultant, National Communications Authority.

The rest were: Mr. Kwame Edem Senanu, Management and Development Consultant, and a Representative from the Public Service Commission, Mr. Mike K. Garba.