I Will Annul Afriwave Contract If . . . - Communications Minister

Communications Minister Dr. Omane Boamah has indicated that his outfit will annul the contract awarded to Afriwave for the Interconnect Clearing House (ICH) if proven fraudulent. According to the Sector Minister, he will not condone any inappropriate actions for which the contract is inclusive. Speaking to host Kwami Sefa Kayi on Peace FM's 'Kokrokoo', Dr. Omane Boamah however defended the contract stating emphatically that it was a "cabinet policy approved by the cabinet of the Republic of Ghana." The Ministry of Communication has come under fire over a contract awarded to Afriwave for the ICH. The ICH is expected to serve as a platform by which all calls in Ghana will be routed. "The contract is expected to generate at least I billion United Sates Dollars over the next 10 years for Afriwave. The suspicion of underhand dealings is grounded by the fact that a closer look at the scores awarded all the competing companies in three main categories indicate that Afriwave scored more marks than the maximum awarded marks. "The report itself mentioned on page 32 that the financial position of the company was not strong and that their finances were actually negative," the New Crusading Guide reported. Policy think tank IMANI Ghana has expressed concerns over the contract and requested probe. According to the think tank, “the panel manipulated its own scoring scheme to ensure that Afriwave came on top, regardless of the actual results and they did so with brazenness that is almost farcical”. “With a score of 0 on equity, how did Afriwave score more than 75% of the points available on debt equity ratio? Why was the final report of the committee not vetted by the NCA for accuracy and consistency of the computations and conclusions arrived at?" But Dr. Omane Boamah jumped to the defense of the National Communication Authority which responded to IMANI describing the contradictions in the marks as "transposition errors." The Sector Minister said on 'kokrokoo' that "if it is true that the tender process was inappropriate, as a Sector Minister; I will not hesitate in calling for a review or an annulment of the process." To him, some groups have made it their interest for the "clearing house not to be implemented. So, they always will throw some of these things out there for it to lose its significance for the Telecommunication sector, consumers and the government."

Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi /Peacefmonline.com/Ghana