When President Akufo-Addo cut the sod for the construction of the Boankra Inland Port in 2023, it was all joy as Ghanaians hoped it would help boost the economy.
However, three years after that event, the project turned out to be another disaster for the government. Greed, disregard for laws and a likely desire to give jobs to the ‘boys’ have led Ghana to the cusps of losing $3.6 billion to judgment debt.
All of it was engineered by one man in a party that is currently prosecuting former government officials for the same crime. North Tongu MP, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa revealed the looming disaster in yet another blockbuster exposé.
Read the full statement by Okudzeto Ablakwa
Why is the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government engaged in another round of sleazy recklessness which would potentially saddle Ghana with a scary judgement debt of some US$3.6billion?
On the 5th of November, 2020, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo cut sod for construction of the $330 million Boankra Integrated Logistics Terminal (BILT) in the Ashanti Region.
The President’s sod cutting came after Parliament on the 14th of August, 2020 approved by resolution a Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT) Concessionary Agreement between the Government of Ghana and Ashanti Port Services Limited (a consortium of Afum Quality Ltd Ghana and DSS Associates of South Korea) for an amount of US$330,000,000.00 for the development of the Boankra Integrated Logistics Terminal. (See parliamentary resolution attached).
The Transport Minister after unanimously altering the parties to the parliamentary resolution without recourse to Parliament has subsequently proceeded to terminate the concession agreement, also without the consent nor approval of Parliament. This termination supposedly took effect from 5th August, 2023. (See confirmation of Minister’s termination attached)
All parties have informed me, without contradiction, that Justmoh Construction Limited was a direct imposition by the Transport Minister. I have seen board minutes to this effect.
Why is the Transport Minister, regardless of ongoing prosecutions of political opponents, unilaterally amending and disregarding a parliamentary resolution with utter impunity?
The intercepted documents in my possession also confirm that the Transport Minister has in addition to all his rambo-style illegalities ensured that payment of a colossal US$33,300,000.00 equivalent to a staggering GHS449.5million has been made under extremely dubious circumstances to the Minister’s handpicked company — Justmoh Construction Limited. (More details on this in Part 2)
Indeed, the Transport Minister concedes in his termination confirmation letter of November 21, 2023 that he will now ensure “Ghana Shippers takes the necessary processes to regularize the re-engagement” of Justmoh.
Further checks establish that the Transport Minister has been unable to justify his actions as a request from the Attorney General to him to respond to a petition against the Transport Minister’s conduct dated December 19, 2023 remains contemptuously ignored. (See Attorney General’s letter attached).
Work on the strategic Boankra Integrated Logistics Terminal (BILT) project has now come to a halt because of the self-inflicted mess created by the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government. (See letter from Justmoh’s lawyers confirming challenges with continuing the project, as attached).
Instead of Ghana and the good people of the Ashanti Region finally accomplishing the long-awaited dream of Boankra to spur industrialization and job creation, we are ending up with an abandoned project, avoidable litigation and a looming judgement debt of US$3.6billion as Ashanti Port Services Limited is demanding. A totally avoidable massive financial loss to the state.
What at all can this government get right?
