The Member of Parliament for South Dayi, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, has accused UNICEF of failing to deliver COVID-19 medications, leaving Ghana with a substantial debt of US$81,870,379.80.
Speaking to the media, Mr Dafeamekpor expressed frustration at the apparent loss of funds and the failure to hold UNICEF accountable.
According to him, the Ministry of Health paid US$120,192,379.80 to UNICEF for COVID-19 vaccines, but only a fraction of the ordered vaccines were delivered, leaving a substantial outstanding amount.
“That is why people like me don’t attend any programmes organized by UNICEF. I cannot understand why UNICEF would take our money with the intention of supplying us with COVID-19 drugs, yet they are unable to supply the entire order and retain the rest of the funds. We’ve organized several press conferences, but nothing has come out of it. We need to hold multinational agencies like UNICEF accountable. This behaviour is unacceptable.”
He cited paragraph 76 of an audit report, which highlighted the discrepancy between the funds paid and the vaccines delivered.
“Reading from Page 21, paragraph 76 of the audit report we noted that the Ministry of Health, on behalf of the Government of Ghana, paid US$120,192,379.80 to UNICEF/AVAT for the supply of 16,025,650 vaccines under the agreement. However, only 5,109,600.00 doses of vaccines valued at US$38,322,000.00 were supplied to the National Cold Room, resulting in an outstanding amount of US$81,870,379.80 with UNICEF/AVAT.’”
Further details from paragraphs 77 to 80 of the audit report stated the following.
- This discrepancy could lead to financial loss if the contract is not renegotiated to recover the outstanding amount.
- The Chief Director of the Ministry of Health explained that the payment was made in anticipation of receiving all the vaccines within a short timeframe for vaccination in the country. However, unexpected vaccine donations, limited vaccine storage capacity, and slow uptake by Ghanaians for vaccination made it impossible to receive the Janssen vaccines that had been paid for.
- We recommended that the Chief Director of the Ministry of Health renegotiate with UNICEF/AVAT to recover the outstanding amount.
- Management responded that the Ministry has initiated its own renegotiation process with the World Bank. A meeting has been held between the Minister and the Bank, followed by a letter to the Bank to commence the renegotiation process.
“What should Parliament do? We have summoned the Minister several times. His responds are neither here nor there. It is the government that must demand its money back. When I say government, I mean the executives who made the payment. They must seek a refund from the UNICEF headquarters.”
The audit report recommended renegotiating with UNICEF to recover the outstanding amount, acknowledging the risk of financial loss if not addressed.
Mr Dafeamekpor criticized the government’s handling of the situation, expressing disappointment at the lack of concrete action to recover the funds.
He emphasized the need for accountability and urged the government to demand a refund from UNICEF headquarters.
Regarding parliamentary action, Dafeamekpor questioned the effectiveness of summoning the Minister and suggested that it is ultimately the government’s responsibility to seek reimbursement.