Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL), an advocacy group, has announced plans to picket at the Ministry of Finance over concerns related to the Strategic Mobilisation Limited (SML) contract and the national ambulance deal.
The group is demanding greater transparency and accountability from the government regarding these critical agreements.
ORAL has raised serious questions about the SML contract, which was designed to enhance revenue assurance in the petroleum sector.
According to the group’s Convener, Osman Ayariga, the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) entered into the contract without securing the necessary approvals from the Public Procurement Authority (PPA) and Parliament. These alleged irregularities were highlighted in a recent audit report by KPMG.
In addition to the SML contract, ORAL is also scrutinizing the government’s handling of the national ambulance deal. The group alleges that the procurement process for the ambulances, intended to improve emergency healthcare delivery across the country, lacked transparency and may have involved inflated costs. ORAL is calling for a thorough investigation to ensure that public funds were used appropriately.
To draw attention to these issues and press the government for answers, ORAL has announced plans to picket at the Ministry of Finance on September 4, 2024.
The group is calling on civil society organizations and concerned citizens to join the protest, emphasizing the need for greater accountability in managing public resources.
“As a result, on the 4th of September 2024 (04/09/2024), the ORAL Brigade will be assembling at the Ministry of Finance to voice our demands and ensure that our concerns are heard. Our purpose is to urge the Minister of Finance to take immediate action to investigate these matters thoroughly, halt any questionable payments, and recover funds where necessary,” Osman Ayariga stated during a press conference on Thursday, August 29.
He added, “We believe that this picketing is vital to restore public confidence in our financial management systems and to reinforce the principle that public resources must be managed with the highest levels of integrity and transparency. This is just the first of many planned protests by the nation-conscious ORAL Brigade aimed at demanding accountability in public financial management.”