I’ll win corruption fight – Akufo-Addo
The gathering looks on as President Akufo-Addo speaks |
President Akufo-Addo, has stated that donor support to the budgets of
the Ministries of Education, Health and Gender, Children and Social
Protection, in 2016, is equal to the revenue allegedly diverted by some
19 customs officials who were arrested recently.
It will be recalled that three (3) weeks ago, the country’s law
enforcement agencies cracked allegedly a syndicate of 19 persons at the
Tema Harbour, comprising customs officials and representatives of three
clearing and freight forwarding agencies, who were allegedly responsible
for the loss of some GH¢1.2 billion in revenue to the state.
Referring to figures from the Ministry of Finance, Akufo-Addo stated
that the budget for the Ministry of Health in 2016 amounted to some
GH¢2.9 billion. Out of this amount, GH¢743 million, representing 26% of
the Ministry’s budget, was financed by overseas donors.
Again, the he noted that the Ministry of Education’s budget for 2016,
amounting to GH¢5.9 billion, saw a contribution of GH¢323 million by
overseas donors; whereas the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social
Protection, whose budget for 2016 GH¢463 million received donor support
of GH¢70 million.
“So in three Ministries of our social sector – health, education and
gender – out of a total budget of GH¢9.2 billion, GH¢1.2 billion is
overseas aid or donor support. And yet, one group of alleged racketeers
at Tema can deny us revenue of GH¢1.2 billion,” he lamented.
The President noted that with a handful of customs officials and
representatives of clearing agencies allegedly responsible for this
level of loss, one can, therefore, imagine the leakages and the seepages
that exists in the country’s revenue collection system.
“The fight against corruption is about ourselves, it is not so a big a
theoretical thing in the air. They (corrupt officials) are degrading
our capacity to control our own development, and to be able to do so
with our heads high and not with our hands up, begging people to come
and help us. We should not be in that position,” he bemoaned.
He continued, “We appreciate the contributions and the support that
our friends across the world make to our country and to its development.
We are not looking gift horses in the mouth, but we should be capable
of financing our own development, so that whatever anybody else wants to
come and give is like a bonus, the icing on the cake.”
These statistics, the Akufo-Addo indicated, “Tells you how important
the fight against corruption is. If it is, indeed, true that the
leakages (from the ports) can be anything between GH¢7 billion to GH¢10
billion, then you can appreciate the magnitude of where we are. Those
pocketing these sums of money, and denying these monies to our
exchequer, are, essentially, denying our capacity to develop.”
Section of the Ghanaian community in the UK |
He assured Ghanaians that “to the extent that God gives me health and
strength, I am going to do my best to make sure that the fight against
corruption is won.”
Describing Ghana as a country of considerable resources, with 27
million hardworking people, he noted that “if we handle the resources of
our country honestly and intelligently, there is no limit to where we
can go.”
The reason why the fight against corruption is such an important
matter for his government and the people of Ghana, he explained, is
because of the project that we (government) have put before our people.
Ghana’s high commissioner to the United Kingdom, Papa Owusu Ankomah |
“We want to put Ghana in the situation ‘Beyond Aid’. We want to be
able to mobilize Ghana’s own resources to handle the problems of its
development. We are not a poor country in Ghana. We are a country of
considerable resources, with 27 million people, hardworking people in
the land which is blessed with a lot that nature has given us,” he
added.
Akufo-Addo was addressing the Ghanaian community resident in the
United Kingdom, at an event held at the Central Hall, Westminster,
London, on Friday, June 16, 2017, when he made these known.
Source: Starrfmonline.com
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