Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has raised fresh concerns over the extensive taxpayer funds paid to Kelvin Ofori-Atta, a relative of President Akufo-Addo and Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta, for the rehabilitation of key stadiums in Ghana.
Ablakwa alleges that despite these substantial payments, the nation still faces the embarrassment of a ban from the Confederation of African Football (CAF) due to the poor state of its sports facilities.
In a statement backed by intercepted payment vouchers, Ablakwa disclosed that since 2019, Kelvin Ofori-Atta, through his companies Coupbay and Cisdan, has consistently received large payments for rehabilitating the Accra Sports Stadium and the Essipong Sports Stadium.
The payments are as follows:
- On March 18, 2019, Coupbay was paid GHS6,006,868.44 for work on the Accra Sports Stadium.
- On June 18, 2020, Coupbay received GHS10,662,700.28 for additional rehabilitation of the Accra Sports Stadium.
- On March 10, 2021, Coupbay was paid GHS4,754,829.56 for further work on the same facility.
- On May 27, 2022, another GHS4,325,539.84 was paid to Coupbay for work on the Accra Sports Stadium.
- On December 29, 2023, Kelvin Ofori-Atta’s other company, Cisdan, was paid GHS6,511,245.66 to rehabilitate the Essipong Sports Stadium.
These payments alone total GHS32,261,183.78, according to the MP. Ablakwa criticized the apparent conflict of interest, suggesting that despite the hefty spending, the country is still facing dire consequences in the international sports arena.
“You squander over GHS85million of taxpayer funds on fanthom stadium rehabilitations with familial companies only for our once highly respected country to be begging the likes of Togo and Ivory Coast to come to our aid by serving as our adopted home for international football competitions,” Ablakwa lamented.
Ablakwa questioned the rationale behind entrusting such critical national projects to family-connected companies and highlighted how the situation reflects poorly on the current government’s ability to deliver value for money.
CAF Ban on Baba Yara Sports Stadium
The controversy surrounding the stadium rehabilitations gained momentum following CAF’s decision to ban the Baba Yara Sports Stadium from hosting international matches due to its poor condition. In response, the Ministry of Youth and Sports has directed the Ghana Football Association (GFA) to seek CAF’s approval for alternative venues, including the Accra Sports Stadium and the University of Ghana Sports Stadium, for the Black Stars’ 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier against Sudan.
According to the Ministry, most of the issues at the Accra Sports Stadium have been resolved, and they are pushing for an inspection and subsequent approval by CAF. However, if local venues are not cleared in time, Ghana may have to host the match in neighboring countries such as Togo, Nigeria, or Ivory Coast.
Operation-Recover-All-Loot (ORAL)
Ablakwa concluded by expressing hope that under a future Mahama administration, his proposed “Operation-Recover-All-Loot (ORAL)” initiative would ensure that those responsible for mismanaging state funds, including the funds for these stadium projects, would be held accountable.
“One thing is sure — the perpetrators of this latest international embarrassment won’t be allowed to get away!” he asserted.
Documents shared by Mr Ablakwa on the subject
