Coronavirus test at KIA: How Akufo-Addo’s nominees appeared unaware about Frontier contract

The Kotoka International Airport was reopened to travellers on September 1, 2020, after Ghana’s borders had been closed for a while due to the outbreak of the Novel Coronavirus.

Air passengers coming into the country via the airport were then asked to pay $150 for a PCR test to be conducted and results given to them

Read full articlein 30 minutes before being allowed into the country.

A company is known as Frontier Healthcare Service Limited (FHSL) which was incorporated on July 21, 2020 (40-days before the airport was reopened) and is owned by Healthcare Solution Services Limited (HSSL). HSSL was also incorporated on June 3, 2020, and also is wholly owned by another company called The Peters Family Company Ltd incorporated in Dominica.

FHSL was chosen to spearhead the PCR testing at the airport.

In October 2020, the Minority raised some red flags into the award of the PCR test contract at the airport to FHSL. They believed there were some procurement law breaches and a lack of transparency in the contract, so they called for the contract to be suspended.

But the process of the award of the contract has come up repeatedly at the ongoing ministerial vetting by the Appointments Committee of Parliament and those supposed to have known what the contract entails seems unaware of how the contract was awarded.

What the nominees said at vetting:

Kwaku Agyeman-Manu

Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, the Health Minister-designate, who was the first to be vetted, openly told to the members of the Appointments Committee that he is unaware of how the contract was awarded to Frontier Healthcare Service Limited (FHSL).

According to him, the contract was awarded to FHSL by the Presidential Taskforce on COVID-19, of which he is a member.

Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka asked if he did not know the details of the contract that was awarded to FHSL.

Agyeman-Manu explained, “Honourable Chair, the Presidential Taskforce was started by me from the ministry in the early stages of the pandemic. I said I was creating inter-ministerial committee but then the first two meetings I called, my colleagues wouldn’t come so I told the President to take over so that he can enable us to engage…”

He added, “It will be very difficult for me to answer this particular question, why because, there is a presidential task force that is supporting the ministry to do the COVID battle. This particular arrangement was put in place by the task force that reports to the President. They actually did the procurement.”

Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey

Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey is the Minister-nominee for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration. When she appeared before the Appointments Committee and the question was asked by Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, she explained:

“I was not consulted with regards to how much it is charged at the airport but I know that at ECOWAS, a decision was taken for ECOWAS citizens throughout all the 16-member states to only have a financial burden to any COVID-19 test of $50. I think it is ok. The reason why I say that is for those in Europe, there are some charges that are left for those in the Eurozone and then those outside and it’s done everywhere…”

Godfred Yeboah Dame

During the vetting of Godfred Yeboah Dame, the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice designate, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa (NDC- South Tongu MP) indicated that he has been probing since the sessions of the vetting process began, the agreement into the award of the PCR test contract at the airport to Frontier Healthcare Service Limited, but both the Health Minister- and Foreign Minister-nominee say they have no idea.

“You were in the Attorney General’s Department, Article 38(1) makes you the principal legal advisor to the government. Are you aware of this transaction? Did you offer any legal advice to this transaction?” Okudzeto Ablakwa asked Godfred Dame.

In his response, Godfred Yeboah Dame said:

“I was deputy Attorney General and Mr Chairman, the duties of the Deputy Attorney-General... is to assist the minister on matters that are assigned. Mr Chairman, I am not in a position to tell if it was referred to the office of the Attorney General…”

Okudzeto Ablakwa then asked if the transaction came up when he was serving at the governing body of the PPA.

“Mr Chairman readily, on the top of my head, there are hundreds of approvals that are taken by PPA every week, so I cannot tell this particular one. And most of the time, I’m deputy Attorney General…when they are sitting around 10 am I will be in court; I’ll not be there,” Godfred Dame stated.

Adwoa Safo

Sarah Adwoa Safo, the Minister-nominee for Gender, Children and Social Protection appeared before the Appointments Committee to answer questions to be considered for her new portfolio.

Because she was the Procurement Minister in the President’s first term and the FHSL contract is supposed to pass through her office, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa asked her: “We have been on a campaign to find out details on the procurement processes leading to the airport $150 antigen test by FHSL. Do you know the procurement processes involved; have you cited the contract so far as the airport antigen test agreement is concerned?”

Sarah Adwoa Safo answered, “Mr Chair, no I haven’t.”

Okudzeto Ablakwa then came back to ask if she hasn’t seen the procurement processes on that in her capacity as the Chief Procurement advisor to the President.

She indicated that, as Chief Procurement advisor to the President, “I want to state on record that Public Procurement Act, Act 663 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, thank you.”

By her response, it is now left with the Minister for Finance nominee, who also served as the substantive Minister for Finance in President Akufo-Addo’s first term, to answer on oath to the ‘million-dollar question’ members of the Appointments Committee and all Ghanaians are seeking answers to.