President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is reassuring Ghanaians that his administration did not use the COVID-19 pandemic as an avenue to engage in corrupt activities.
According to the President, there were genuine expenditures made and costs incurred in the quest to fight the unplanned pandemic.
“Let me make it clear that COVID expenditures, essentially unplanned, have been subjected to audit by the Auditor General and are going through parliamentary processes. We all deserve to be reassured that the crisis was not used as a covenant for corrupt practices,” he stressed in his address to the nation on Sunday, May 28.
He contended that most of the procedures undertaken by government to combat the pandemic were publicly funded, hence the reason for the high expenditure made by the government.
“The testing for the millions who went to public laboratories, quarantine of arrivals from our outside the country, hospital admissions, treatments, and treatment for all patients were publicly funded and cost vast sums of money.
“The vaccination program was very expensive. Even though we received some donated vaccines, we purchased a lot with our own resources and the multiple countrywide vaccination campaigns cost a lot of money. The fumigation, cleansing, and disinfection of markets, schools, offices, and other public spaces also cost a lot of money,” President Akufo-Addo emphasised.
Additionally, he indicated that “Free water was provided, and the cost of electricity subsidised, 54,000 additional health workers were hired, and all health workers obtained a tax rebate.”
The President also highlighted that public education on the virus, as well as the logistics for keeping the schools open during the pandemic, were also huge and costly.
However, he added that despite the expense incurred, he was pleased that it did not interfere with education because classes could still be held and “no Ghanaian child was left behind.”
Subsequently, he entreated Ghanaians to bear with the Covid-19 health recovery levy, explaining that the COVID trust fund performed an invaluable service.
The President further noted that the purpose of the fund has reached the end of its mandate.
With that, he expressed his gratitude to the benefactors, trustees, and contributors to the COVID trust fund.