Ahiagbah fires back at Ato Forson; insists BoG tried to build new HQ when he was a board member

Richard Ahiagbah, the New Patriotic Party's (NPP) Director of Communications, has fired back at Minority Leader Dr Cassiel Ato Forson after Dr Forson attacked him over claims that the opposition lawmaker was a board member when the Bank of Ghana (BoG) began the process of establishing a new headquarters in 2015.

"For the record, the Bank of Ghana under the erstwhile Mahama/NDC administration never awarded a contract for the construction of this new Head Office," Dr. Forson added.

"We therefore challenge Ahiagbah and his NPP apologists to produce any evidence to the contrary."

This follows rising pressure on the Bank of Ghana to abandon plans to continue with the project following a GH60.8 billion deficit in 2022.

Despite explaining the conditions that led to the loss, the Central Bank is claimed to have recorded a negative equity of GH55.1 billion.

Regardless, the bank is claimed to be constructing a new headquarters for GH250 million.

On Tuesday, August 8, the Minority in Parliament gave the Governor of the Bank, Dr Ernest Addison, and his two deputies 21 days to resign over what MPs described as waste.

However, the NPP's Communications Director, Richard Ahiagbah, revealed in a media report that when the process for a new head office began, the Minority Leader was a board member of the Bank.

The Ajumako-Enyan-Essiam MP disputes this.

"For the record, I was not a part of the processes for the construction of this new Head Office building at Ridge, and the Bank of Ghana Board never began such processes."

He also stated that no land in Accra has been secured for the establishment of a new head office.

"We maintain that the current Bank of Ghana Management and Board's decision to build an ultra-modern Head Office building at a time when the Bank of Ghana has recorded a loss of GhS60.8 billion and a negative equity of GHS55.1 billion; at a time when the average Ghanaian is struggling to make ends meet, is a reckless and misplaced priority."

"No attempt at equalization can atone for the Bank of Ghana's historical collapse and mismanagement by this Akufo-Addo/Bawumia NPP government, alongside Governor Addison and his management." The Governor and his deputies' resignations are still on the agenda."

In response to Dr. Forson, Mr. Ahiagbah stated, "The goal of our communications is not necessarily to defend, but to provide information to expose NDC's mischief." Dr. Ato Forson's response to my tweet.

"Photo of Hon. Ato Forson on the Bank of Ghana's Board of Directors in 2014 and 2015.

Honorable Ato Forson, Are you aware of the following people/entities' conversations in 2014 and 2015 to buy land for the purposes of creating a new headquarters for the Bank of Ghana?
1. In 2014, Messrs KAA Law offered the Bank a 7-acre plot of land valued at USS21 million. The bank rejected the Offer because to the land's location and other issues.
2. Messrs IbisTek Ltd proposed $2.5 million per acre for a 20-acre plot of land near the Achimota Forest.
Following a mandate from the Bank's Board of Directors in an Extract dated June 25, 2015, the Bank pursued negotiations for the acquisition of the land.

So, in 2015, Hon. Ato Forson was a member of the Board that chose to build a new headquarters for the Bank of Ghana, and he took the essential first step to buy the site, which ended up costing the taxpayer GHs1.2 million in settlement when the deal fell through.

Remember that in 2015, Ghana signed up for the $925.9 million (SDR 664.20 million) IMF ECF, and the economy was in shambles, yet the Board, led by Hon Ato Forson, continued to buy the $50 million land for the headquarters.