Minority demands refund of unapproved $2 million payment in Accra Sky Train Project

The Minority in Parliament is demanding a refund of $2 million invested in the botched Accra Sky Train project.

At a presser on Monday, July 17, the Minority Chief Whip, Kwame Governs Agbodza, said the $2 million to Africa Investor Holdings Limited, a firm in Mauritius, for the Accra Sky Train project, was made without parliamentary approval.

“Before the company even started feasibility studies, someone in government had decided to pay $2 million to this entity and somewhere this year, Joe Ghartey said he has never said the government was going to fund the sky train project, and I am not sure he was reading what he had written because what was the $2 million meant for? he quizzed.

Mr. Agbodza pointed out that the payment of $2 million to Africa Investor Holdings Limited was made before the company even began feasibility studies for the project.

He raised concerns about the lack of a valid operating license for the system the company intended to operate.

The Minority Chief Whip expressed his belief that such decisions to make payments without proper justification are indicative of organized crime, carelessness, and recklessness.

He urged the Auditor General to demand a refund, stating that it was inappropriate to pay such a substantial amount for a feasibility study before determining the project’s bankability.

This is the second time the Minority is making this call.

In September 2022, the Minority called on the Auditor-General (A-G) to invoke its constitutional powers and call for the prosecution of the board and management of the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund (GIIF) for payment of the $2 million to the Accra Sky Train project.

The Accra Sky Train Project

The proposed Accra Train system is an integrated, elevated rail urban transit system that is aimed at providing an efficient, cost-effective, reliable, safe, and accessible public transport network in Accra.

The government, through GIIF, signed a concession agreement in November 2018 with the firm in Mauritius, Africa Investor, to construct the $ 1.9 billion Accra Skytrain project.

The Railway Minister at the time, Joe Ghartey, was confident that the project was the solution to the traffic congestion problems of Accra.

As a world-class mass transport system, the GIIF was optimistic that the project would create 5,000 jobs during its construction and further development of the capital.

But as of now, the sky train project is yet to be executed.