Corruption in Ghana Tourism Authority - ex-Minister

Widespread bribery and corruption exists at the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA), according to former Minister of Tourism Akua Sena Dansua.

She says officials have, time without number, issued receipts for half the price of services rendered or levies owed to the GTA.

The damning allegations by the ex-minister was in reaction to an earlier allegation by the Executive Director of GTA, Samson Donkor, that he was coerced by the then minister to sign an agreement with a private company to collect the one per cent tourism levy on behalf of the Authority.

The Board of GTA in a letter to the Executive Director, a copy of which has been intercepted by Joy News, demanded to answer why he signed the agreement without due authorization from the Board.

The board also demanded why disciplinary action should not be taken against Mr Samson Donkor.

But in his response, the Executive Director said the agreement was signed under circumstances beyond his control.

He accused the former minister of putting undue pressure on him to have the agreement signed and even created the impression as though the Board has duly consented to the signing of the agreement.

But the former Minister Akua Sena Dansua is surprised at the revelations and has hit back.

She told Joy News’ Evans Mensah the Board consented to the agreement with the private company and wondered why they are now demanding explanations why the contract was signed.

She said the contract was outsourced to the company under a sole sourcing procedure spelt out in the country’s Public Procurement Laws.

Akua Sena Dansua said Suba Info Solutions won the contract purely on merit and not because she, as a minister, has any interest in the company.

She however accused high ranking officials of deliberately thwarting the efforts to have the company collect the levy on behalf of GTA.

“There is a deliberate effort at GTA to frustrate this thing because obviously some people’s bread was going to be forfeited.

She said: “People have made it their business in GTA, national and regional, not to pursue these facilities and collect the rates that were entitled the state.

“They go there, they give them pittance or they give them snack, an overnight stay and that is all.

“They actually refuse to do the collection as they are mandated to do because of the little little things they get into their pockets.”

She said it was as a result of the corruption in the system, that she insisted on having a private company collect the levies on behalf of the GTA.

Akua Sena Dansua said the president must overhaul the entire operations at the GTA.

But Samson Donkor has dismissed the allegations by the former minister. He said the various facilities do not pay their levies directly to officials of the GTA but rather pay the levies into banks.

He explained officials of the GTA only go to the various facilities to monitor operations and to ensure they are up to standards and not to collect levies as alleged by the minister.