A former Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, Mr Michael Okyere Baafi, has debunked allegations of corruption surrounding the One District One Factory (1D1F) programme, questioning the timing and transparency of an audit report.
“I believe the government wants to use this as a diversion tactic, just like the gold and cocoa issues,” he said.
Mr Okyere Baafi, who is also the Ranking Member on Parliament’s Trade and Industry Committee, explained in an interview with a section of the media in Koforidua that the 1D1F programme involved the government paying 50 per cent of interest on loans advanced by commercial banks to participating companies.
“…But no loans were disbursed, so no interest was payable,” he said.
“The auditors didn’t do well… there’s no report; we don’t have access to it,” he said, calling for the full report to be made available.
The former Deputy Minister, who is also the New Patriotic Party Member of Parliament for New Juaben South Constituency, emphasised that no interest subsidy was paid.
“There was no loan advanced, so there was no interest in paying,” he said.
He accused the government of attempting to create a perception of corruption where none existed.
“We should not create the impression that the old government mismanaged funds,” he added.
The controversy stems from disclosures by the Ministry of Finance (Ghana) during a statement in Parliament on Tuesday, March 10, delivered on behalf of Cassiel Ato Baah Forson, the Minister of Finance, by Thomas Ampem Nyarko, the Deputy Minister of Finance.
According to the ministry, GH¢68.7 billion in public claims had been submitted for auditing.
Of that amount, GH¢45.4 billion was validated for payment, while GH¢8.1 billion was rejected due to irregularities, including unsupported documentation, duplication, inflated amounts and payments for work that was allegedly never executed.
Mr Ampem Nyarko said GH¢13.2 billion had been flagged for further scrutiny due to serious concerns.
He told Parliament that the audit uncovered systemic weaknesses that enabled practices such as fictitious claims, recycled invoices, forged store receipt advice and collusion between contractors and public officials.
According to the Deputy Minister, the government had introduced a “triple-lock” accountability framework requiring full verification before public payments are approved.
He said the findings had also been referred to the Office of the Attorney-General and Ministry of Justice (Ghana) for possible criminal prosecution where wrongdoing is established.
