It will be ideal for COVID-19 Trust Fund to present a report on finances – Anti-Corruption Campaigner

Anti-Corruption Campaigner Edem Senanu has expressed that it is in the best interest of the National COVID-19 Trust Fund to present a financial report on the funds in the Fund.

According to him, this move will serve as a “confidence-building measure” to restore that confidence and trust of Ghanaians in the Fund.

He made this statement in relation to the recent news that the Chairperson of the Board of Trustees for the National COVID-19 Trust Fund, Sophia Akuffo has lamented the lack of funds in the Fund.

According to her, with no more funds coming into the National Trust Fund, they have had to, for instance, hand back the warehouse that housed medical supplies for the coronavirus in its possession, to the Ghana Army, its original owners due to lack of support.

Speaking on the Happy Morning Show with host Samuel Eshun, however, Edem stated: “Indeed as a confidence-building measure, the officials will say ‘look, we have engaged the services of certain auditing firms, reputable ones, and we are expecting the auditors’ report and within two weeks or whatever, you [the Ghanaian people] will have the opportunity to interrogate our use of the funds and terms of reference and to give you any additional feedback on issues that may come up. So yes one needs to have engaged with the audit services to ensure that they can provide a report that meets the standard of accounting the finance”.

Edem was of the view that among the many things that can account for people not contributing towards the Fund was probably the lack of accountability on the part of the board of trustees.

“People like to be associated with knowing exactly what the resources have been used for. It is always good to be transparent and as accountable as possible. One of the concerns we had as a civil society and anti-corruption advocates was simply what mechanisms have been put in place, for a continuous basis of giving an account of what resources have come in and how they have been utilized, in a way that continues to maintain the trust and confidence in the citizens. I don’t think that has been very well achieved. And so that is also a potential factor”, he added.

The Parliament of Ghana passed the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) National Trust Fund Act, 2020 (Act 1013) on Thursday, March 27, 2020. The Fund was set up to receive and manage contributions and donations from well-meaning individuals, groups and corporate bodies to support the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.