By: Roberta Gayode Modin
President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has insisted that the COVID-19 Fund was not misused as alleged by the minority.
Speaking in Parliament on the State of the Nation, he stated that there were no reports of any discrepancies in the audit of the COVID Fund.
“We mustn’t lose the confidence of the people that a crisis that they were led to believe were together was abused for personal gains”, the President cautioned.
He listed government support for utility bills, 50% tax relief to frontline health workers, and supply of water and electricity to all households at a huge discount as some interventions to lessen the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Ghanaians.
Meanwhile, a 119-page report by the Ghana Audit Service highlighted some irregularities in the management of the over a billion COVID fund.
According to the report, the authorities failed to take delivery of some COVID-19 jabs it paid for. The Ghanaian Ministry of Health paid an amount of US$120,192,379.80 to UNICEF/AVAT for the supply of vaccines.
However, just “5,109,600.00 doses of vaccines valued at US$38,322,000.00 were supplied to the National Cold Room.”
The report also shows the payment of an unapproved risk allowance at the ministry of information.
However, the President in his address told Ghanaians there was nothing to regret.
“We should be ever grateful for the work so many people did to keep all of us save”, said the President.
