[ 2021-02-18 ]

COVID-19 test at KIA: I wasn’t privy to procurement processes
The former Minister of State for Procurement,
Sarah Adwoa Safo, says she has no knowledge of the
procurement processes adopted prior to contracting
the firm conducting COVID-19 test at the Kotoka
International Airport.

She also said she hasn’t seen the contract for
the deal.

Speaking during her vetting for the Gender,
Children and Social Protection portfolio, she
joined three previous minister-nominees who have
not been able to give clarity on the controversial
contract granted Frontiers Healthcare Solution
Services Limited.

This is despite the fact that she was the chief
advisor to the President on procurement matters.

Madam Adwoa Safo instead suggested the Finance
Minister under Akufo-Addo’s first term, Ken
Ofori-Atta may have answers.

“I want to state on record that the Public
Procurement Act of 2003 was not changed during my
tenure as Minister of State for Public Procurement
so the supervisory minister which is clearly
stated in the law is the Minister for Finance.”

Appearing before the Appointments Committee
earlier, the Health Minister-Designate, Kwaku
Agyeman-Manu, noted that the contract for the
testing was given out under emergency
procurement.

Ghana’s procurement law provides that emergency
procurement and donations shall be undertaken in a
natural disaster, epidemics and others subject to
the Public Procurement Board’s approval in
accordance with Act 663, Section 40.

The government engaged Frontiers Healthcare
Solution Services Limited to conduct rapid
COVID-19 tests following the reopening of the
airport to International Passenger flights.

It was at a point said to be operating whilst
unlicensed.

“We were not in normal times; we had to do
things quickly and rectify them later,” Mr.
Agyemang-Manu said of the situation.

“The licensing was even done on my insistence.
When I went to do the checks and I found out that
it hadn’t been done and I told them to quickly
let us go and rectify the anomaly before things
get worse.”

The firm charged $150 for the 30-minute PCR test.

The amount was recently reduced to $50 for ECOWAS
citizens and but was maintained at $150 for
non-ECOWAS citizens.

Mr. Agyemang-Manu also said a presidential
taskforce was handling the contract.

Aside from Madam Safo and Mr. Agyemang-Manu, the
minister-nominees for Justice and Foreign Affairs,
Godfred Dame, also said he had no knowledge of the
procurement processes.

Source - Citinewsroom

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