‘You’re still committing the same crime’ – PAC chairman chides UG vice-chancellor

The Public Accounts Committee of Parliament (PAC) has warned the University of Ghana against continuous breaches of required procurement processes in projects it undertakes.

During the PAC sitting on Wednesday, February 14, 2024, the Chairman of the Committee, James Klutse Avedzi, expressed his displeasure about the university being continuously cited for procurement breaches by auditors.

Klutse Avedzi said that the university had promised on several occasions when it appeared before PAC that it would not commit procurement breaches, but the 'crime' persists.

"You have been appearing here, and this issue has been coming up. You always promise that you will not do it again, but you are still committing the same crime.

"Would you want to give me the last assurance? I hope that you will not be cited for (sic) procurement again," he said.

In response, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Prof. Nana Aba Appiah Amfo, said that the university's authorities are working to ensure that no procurement breaches are committed in the future.

She explained that breaches occur because of the structure of the university and its inadequate procurement resources, which it is resolving.

"The challenge has to do with the nature of our business, our institution, and also the complexities because we operate in four colleges and the central administration.

"We had an issue with resources also: procurement officers. Now, we have procurement officers in all the colleges. We have improved upon the resource in terms of the procurement officers, decentralising into the colleges and also the heavy-duty units," she said.

The University of Ghana, the University of Professional Studies, Accra, and the University of Media, Arts and Communication appeared before the committee to answer questions on irregularities found in their accounts by the Auditor General.

Watch the encounter in the video below:

The University of Ghana has been warned by the Public Accounts Committee about procurement breaches. #News360#3NewsGH pic.twitter.com/PHKEMobg1f

— #3NewsGH (@3NewsGH) February 15, 2024

BAI/AE

Meanwhile, watch the most recent episode of The Lowdown GhanaWeb TV below:



Ghana’s leading digital news platform, GhanaWeb, in conjunction with the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, is embarking on an aggressive campaign which is geared towards ensuring that parliament passes comprehensive legislation to guide organ harvesting, organ donation, and organ transplantation in the country.