Akosua Manu, the Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the National Youth Authority (NYA), has stated that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is not afraid to fire any appointee if he sees fit.
While speaking on the New Day show with Berla Mundi on TV3 on Thursday June 16, she made this remark when asked why the President has not fired Gender Minister Sarah Adwoa Sarfo, who has been on leave for over a year.
Is President Akufo-Addo apprehensive about dismissing his appointees? Berla was the one who inquired.
“The President is not scared to remove any appointee,” Akosua Manu responded.
Asked again why the President has not sacked the Health Minister Kwaku Agyeman-Manu over the Sputnik V saga when he admitted he did not do due diligence before contracting with the private office of one Emirati Sheikh, H.H Sheikh Ahmed Dalmook Al Maktoum for 3.4 million doses at a unit cost of $19, Akosua Manu replied that “The minster went before a committee of parliament and he gave his reasons.”
Mr Agyeman-Manu has taken a two-week leave following the barrage of criticism he suffered over the Sputnik V contract.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo laughed off the situation when, on Tuesday, 10th August 2021, he commissioned the $16 million Weddi Africa Tomato Processing Factory, a company operating under the 1-District-1-Factory initiative, at Domfete.
While addressing the chiefs and people of the area, he said amidst laughter in the local dialect that “…This is the minister of Health who is being vilified.”
Meanwhile, the Afenyo-Markin-led Parliamentary committee that investigated the Sputnik V vaccine contract recommended in its final report that the Ministry of Finance should take steps to recover the money due the Republic in respect of the amount of US$2,850,000.00 (Cedi equivalent of GH¢16,331,640.00) being the cost of the Sputnik-V vaccines that were proposed to be procured.
The Committee said it found that the Ministry of Health did not seek approval from the Board of Public Procurement Authority (PPA) under Sections 40 and 41 of Act 663 before signing the Agreements.
The Ministry however, applied for ratification under Section 90(3) (c) of the Act. Which has still not been granted.
The Committee also found that PPA has not concluded its investigations into the matter.
The Committee found that the Ministry dealt with the Private Office of His Highness Al Maktoum and S. L. Global. The two entities were appointed by the Aurugulf Health Investment (Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates), to be both Agents and Distributors of the Sputnik-V COVID-19 Vaccines in Ghana. Clearly using middlemen for the purchase and distribution of the vaccine.
