'This Is Bad, I Feel So Ashamed!' - Dr. Benjamin Otchere-Ankrah On Auditor-General's COVID-19 Report

Governance Lecturer at the Central University, Dr. Benjamin Otchere-Ankrah has expressed disgust over the findings by the Auditor-General disclosing that the Ministry of Health paid UNICEF/AVAT over 120 million dollars for Coronavirus vaccines but failed to receive all vaccines from the supplier.

"The Ministry of Health on behalf of Government of Ghana paid an amount of US$120,192,379.80 to UNICEF/AVAT for the supply of vaccines. However, 5,109,600.00 doses of vaccines valued at US$38,322,000.00 were supplied to the National Cold Room leaving a difference of US$81,870,379.80 with UNICEF/AVAT," the report read.

Addressing the issue during Peace FM's "Kokrokoo" programme, Dr. Benjamin Otchere-Ankrah called for sanctions to be meted out to the person(s) who made this blunder.

He noted that if it had been an ordinary Ghanaian who had stolen a phone or something less, he or she would have been given a harsh punishment or sentence but there are government officials and leaders in the country who have embezzled huge monies and are walking free.

To him, in any serious country, the authorities who were in charge of the vaccines and allowed this to happen would have faced a disciplinary action but here is a case where no penal action has been taken against those in charge.

"This is bad. I feel so ashamed that we still touch everything. And if we can touch this too, then where are we going, Ghana?"

He advised the leaders to make the right decisions stressing "let us be proactive".