NDC calls for special audit for COVID-19 food distribution expenditure

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has called for a special audit into the packed food distributed in vulnerable communities when parts of the country went into partial lockdown.

The NDC want to know exactly how much was spent on the ‘supposed’ food and water distributed to people in Accra, Tema, Kasoa and Kumasi during the three-week lockdown to tame the spread of coronavirus.

A Ranking Member of the Finance Committee of Parliament and MP for Ajumako-Enyan-Esiam Constituency, Cassiel Ato Forson, made the demand at the party’s weekly press briefing in Accra on Monday.

“Out of the GH₵280.3 million coronavirus alleviation programme…GH₵40 million was supposed to be used for the purposes of buying hot foods to those in lockdown areas.

“The next item was GH₵40.3 million which was supposed to be spent through the Ghana National Buffer stock company to buy dry food for the distribution, they also needed GH₵200 million for water,” he stated.

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He rallied the media to hold the government accountable for such huge financial resources entrusted during the COVID-19 period.

Ato Forson said this was important in view of the “unprecedented levels of profligacy, waste and corruption Ghanaians have witnessed under the Akufo-Addo government in the last three and a half years.”

The President, in his fifth address to the nation, directed that dry food packages and hot meals be made available to Ghanaians in vulnerable communities.

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“The appropriate ministries have begun to provide food for up to 400,000 individuals and homes in the affected areas of restrictions–Accra, Tema, Kumasi and Kasoa,” as stated in his address.

But barely two weeks into the sharing of food there were some suggestions that the hot meals were shared on party cards basis.

This sparked a huge debate on social media with Ghanaians questioning how the distribution was done.

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