Members of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament have questioned why officials of the Ghana Export-Import Bank (GEXIM) doled out about GHC2 million to Dancehall artist, Charles Nii Armah Mensah Jr. aka Shatta Wale and others as brand ambassadors.
But Ras Mubarak who is Member of Parliament for Kumbungu believes the money could have been invested in provision of water and other basic amenities for rural communities.
He said compared to other mature artistes, Shatta Wale did not deserve the GH¢2 million given to him.
The member’s concerns follow media reports suggesting that the bank paid some huge sums of monies to Shatta Wale and actor and comedian, Kofi Adu, popularly known as ‘Agya Koo’ to be brand ambassadors.
Ras Mubarak is demanding for a full disclosure of payments made by the bank to the said brand ambassadors.
But, responding to the matter at PAC sitting Wednesday, the Deputy Chief Executive Officer with oversight over the Finance and Administration Division at GEXIM, Kwame Adu-Darkwa, said the bank engaged the services of a media consultant to support them in promoting made in Ghana products in the country.
He, however, insisted that he has not signed or cited any cheque doling GHC2 million to any artiste.
“You will be surprised how brand ambassadors can be good for promoting a particular sector. Sometimes what needs to be done is that if you have done incredible work, it will be good for people to know what their options are, and having a good brand ambassador to do that makes sense,” Mr Adu-Darkwa added.
Chairman of PAC, James Klutse Avedzi, said the committee will invite officials of the bank again to present details of the said payments to Shatta Wale and others.
Background
GEXIM was established by the Ghana Export-Import Bank Act 2016 (Act 911) to support the Government of Ghana’s quest for a feasible and sustainable export led economy.
The bank’s vision it to become a strong financial institution that will be a key engine in the development of Ghana’s export trade, facilitate cross border trade and make Ghana a pillar in regional and continental trade
The mission of the bank is to facilitate the transformation of Ghana’s economy into an export one by supporting and developing trade between Ghana and other countries, overseas investments by Ghanaian companies, and eliminate critical market failures in the Ghanaian economy, thereby, making Ghana competitive in the global marketplace.