Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo has been implicated in a major corruption scandal involving the procurement of ambulances, according to allegations made by a prominent opposition MP.
Sam Okudzeto Ablakwa, Member of Parliament for North Tongu and Ranking Member on the Committee on Foreign Affairs, claims to have uncovered evidence of massive overcharging in a contract for 307 ambulances, a flagship project of the current administration.
He has leveled serious allegations of corruption against President Nana Akufo-Addo’s administration
In a detailed post on his X (formerly Twitter) page, accompanied by supporting documents, Mr Ablakwa wrote: “Unimpeachable, irrefutable and irreproachable parliamentary oversight has finally smoked out the hidden characters behind the procurement of President Akufo-Addo’s flagship 307 ambulances.”
He alleges that contracts worth $54.3m (£43m) were awarded to a group already implicated in a controversial spare parts deal.
According to Mr Ablakwa, the actual cost should have been $24.56m, based on a unit price of $80,000 per ambulance.
“This really means that the procurement of the ambulances was unconscionably inflated by a scary $29,740,000.00,” Mr Ablakwa stated. “The wickedly padded figure of $29.7million is more than the actual cost of all the 307 ambulances.”
The MP further contends: “It makes sense to conclude that the $54.3million taxpayer funds spent by the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government should have provided Ghanaians with 678 ambulances and not 307. This is most criminal!”
Mr Ablakwa’s investigation reportedly found that the procurement was carried out through several newly formed companies. He stated: “Instructively, a majority 6 out of the 8 companies were formed between April and September 2017 — the year Akufo-Addo became President of Ghana.”
The opposition MP claims individuals with close ties to the President are involved in these companies. He specifically mentioned one company, Elok Consult and Services Limited, which he says was incorporated by “Stephen Okoro, the man who gave President Akufo-Addo his first granddaughter”.
Among the documents shared on his X page, Mr Ablakwa included what he says are company registration details and passport information to support his allegations.
If proven, the allegations would represent a significant misuse of public funds and implicate the highest levels of Ghana’s government in corruption.
The government has not yet responded to these latest claims. This silence follows a pattern of non-response to several allegations made by Mr Ablakwa. One such previous claim involved the sale of a hotel to government officials, which was later cancelled following strikes by organised labour groups.
