The Government of Ghana in its mid-year budget review presented to Parliament by the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori Atta has stated US$100,000,000 was spent to procure face masks, sanitizers and Veronica buckets for school.
Another expenditure in the budget was the expending of about GHc401 million on sanitizers, nose masks and Veronica buckets for staff of the Electoral Commission and National Identification Authority for their registration exercises in 2020.
These expenses were captured in the page 100 and 101 of Appendix 4E and 4D of the 2021 Mid-Year Fiscal Policy Review.
Since March 2020 following the arrival of the coronavirus in Ghana, many Ghanaians and corporate bodies have contributed millions of cedis to support the government in the fight against the deadly virus.
Aside the donations from Ghanaians, the government also received One Billion United State Dollar from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
The President Akufo-Addo led NPP government after winning the second term came under pressure from the public to account for proceeds received from the covid donations.
The government before presenting any audited account on how the funds were spent has imposed a Covid Tax on Ghanaians in its 2021 Budget which raised a huge public concerns as to why Ghanaians should be paying covid tax to government when citizens in other countries rather receive incentives from their governments.
Four days ago, government has announced to have taken delivery of another One Billion United State Dollar from the IMF to support in the country’s economic recovery.
Prof. John Gatsi of the University of Cape Coast School of Business has since called for a greater transparency from government in respect to the yet to be spent US1billon.
