Ablakwa slams govt for prioritising $20m debt payment over housing for VRA flood victims

The Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has unleashed a scathing criticism against the government, accusing it of prioritising debt payments over providing emergency housing for victims of floods induced by the Volta River Authority (VRA).

According to him, the government claimed it doesn't have money to get the over 1000 flood victims a temporary place of relocation, yet, it has money to pay for a debt it mischievously created.

This comes in the wake of a revelation that the Ministry of Finance authorised the release of a whopping GH¢230.5 million (US$20 million) to settle a judgement debt owed to the Ghana Power Generation Company Limited (GPGC).

“You are hereby authorised to release the sum of GH¢230,598,000 (Two thousand and thirty million, five hundred and ninety-eight thousand Ghana cedis) being that credit equivalent of $ 20, 000,000 at an exchange rate of $11, 5200 to the Chief Director, Ministry of Finance to enable the ministry make part settlement of the arbitral award to Ghana Power Generation Company Limited (GPGC) in relation of the above mentioned case.

“The total expenditure of GH¢230,598,000 should be charged as per the attached specific warrant,” the letter from the ministry stated.

Reacting to this in a post on X, the North Tongu MP expressed his displeasure at the government's apparent inconsistency in allocating funds.

The MP raised questions about the government's financial priorities, emphasising the stark contrast between its inability to address the urgent needs of flood victims and its promptness in disbursing funds for a contested judgement debt.

“The Akufo-Addo/Bawumia/Ofori-Atta government claims it so broke that they cannot provide emergency housing for VRA-induced flood victims but fresh intercepted documents reveal that they have authorised the release of a staggering GH¢230.5million (US$20million) to pay for a judgement debt they recklessly and wickedly created.

“I hope the Ministers who wrongfully terminated the GPGC contract and willfully caused financial loss to Ghana are preparing for the day of reckoning,” the post read.

Below is the letter from the Ministry of Finance



Also, see the tweet by Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa below:

The Akufo-Addo/Bawumia/Ofori-Atta government claims it so broke that they cannot provide emergency housing for VRA-induced flood victims but fresh intercepted documents reveal that they have authorized the release of a staggering GHS230.5million (US$20million) to pay for a… pic.twitter.com/CdTzmTlOaY

— Sam Okudzeto Ablakwa (@S_OkudzetoAblak) December 13, 2023

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