Questionable GYEEDA contracts costing Ghana millions

Joy News’ investigations have uncovered that the National Youth Employment Programme, now Ghana Youth Employment and Entrepreneurial Agency (GYEEDA), has become a breeding ground for corruption as some officials of the programme divert state funds into their private pockets.

Manasseh Azure Awuni reveals that questionable contracts signed with service providers are robbing the nation of millions of cedis while beneficiaries’ service conditions worsen.

Manasseh investigates the Youth in Sanitation module, which GYEEDA runs in partnership with Zoomlion Ghana Limited and reveals government pays GHS 500 per beneficiary every month. But out of that, only GHS 100 is paid to the beneficiaries monthly. Zoomlion keeps the rest, GHS 400, as management fees.

A contract signed by the then Minister for Youth and Sports, Clement Kofi Humado in March, 2011 and sighted by Joy FM pegged Zoomlion Management fee per beneficiary at GHS 300 per month and beneficiary allowance at GHS 50.

In November that same year, then Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, signed a document in which the beneficiary allowance was increased from 50 cedis to 100 cedis, and Zoomlion’s management fees moved from Ghc300 to Ghc400.00.

But it is not clear why the local government minister effected those changes because, per the implementation guidelines of the Programme, it is the Youth and Sports Ministry, which is mandated to make such changes.

So why would Zoomlion be paid GHS 400 while workers who battle with the stench of choked drains and filth in the city receive GHS 100 at the end of the month?

Officials of Zoomlion declined to grant a recorded interview. But in a written reply to questions, they said Zoomlion provides tools and equipment for beneficiaries.

Mahama Abu, the GYEEDA Coordinator for the West Gonja District of the Northern Region told Joy News a story which is completely different from Zoomlion’s claims.

He said the lack of equipment became such a serious matter to the extent that World Vision Ghana was compelled to provide equipment for beneficiaries.

Justifying why they take GHS 400 and give GHS 100 to beneficiaries, Zoomlion officials say they also provide for repairs and maintenance. But some beneficiaries of the module told Joy News they repair and maintain their tricycle, for instance, from the GHS100 they receive.

According to official figures from Zoomlion, there are 43,095 beneficiaries in the Youth in Sanitation Module. The Northern Region has the largest number (6750)but the regional Coordinator, Mohammed Amin Adam, could not confirm this figure.

Per the contract, GYEEDA is supposed to recruit beneficiaries for Zoomlion, but that is not the case.

Going by the number from Zoomlion, the company makes over 17 million cedis a month after paying the beneficiaries.

This means in a year, the company gets over 200 million cedis. The Youth in Sanitation is not the only model Mr. Joseph Siaw Agyapong’s companies run. The story continues.