Minority raises red flag over expenditure at presidency

Emmanuel Quacoo/Parliamentary correspondent

A report of detailed expenditure in 2019 at the Presidency of the Chief of Staff Secretariat for goods and services from January to September, 2019 has cost the nation ghc 396,005,073.00 on refreshment for the President Nana Addo Dankwah Akufo-Addo and his Vice, Dr Mahamadu Bawumia.

 

Debating the 2020 budget estimate for government machinery in Parliament, the Ranking member on Finance, Hon Cassel Ato-Baah Forson revealed that, it’s unprecedented in the history of Ghana for a President to use such a whooping amount of money within 9 months on only refreshment.

 

Speaking to the press, the legislator regretted that, in 9 months, the President an his Vice will use state money without sympathy.

 

He said, the highest the Mahama-led administration spent on foreign travels was ghc 25 million in a whole year.

 

Details of the report had it that, at the the Chief of Staff Secretariat Goods and services expenditure return from January to September, 2019 on items, that is, printed materials and stationery was ghc1,688,942.00, office facilities and accessories ghc6,552,061.89, telecommunications, ghc1, 836,706.96 while maintenance and repairs of vehicle was gh5,985,200.46.

 

Further, the nation paid ghc62,578, 224.08 on foreign travel cost and experiences whereas an amount of ghc1,980,025.23 was used on refreshment, ghc520, 420.24 on official national celebrations, ghc68,908,226.13 on operational enhancement experiences, ghc903,455.89 on rentals of office and residential accommodation, ghc4,899,100.90 on fuel and an amount of ghs 7,200,898.00 as support to other MDAs.

 

Also, at the vice president’s office, an amount of ghc1,980,025.50 was used as refreshment whereas printing materials, was 88,942.00, office facilities and accessories ghc152, 061.89, maintenance and repairs of vehicle ghc1,285,200.46, hotel accommodation was ghc2,536,870.95, operational enhancement expenses ghc1,806,330.25 and fuel and lubricants costed ghc290, 100.23.

 

Meanwhile,the house has approved an amount of ghc4,303,418.613.00 for the service of the office of government machinery for the year ending 31st December, 2020. In 2019, government machinery was allocated ghc 18, 704,453.75 as budget estimate for the year.