A US national and long-time resident of Ghana, Michael Bass, is accusing some officials and banks of blocking his NGO from accessing humanitarian funds meant for development in Ghana. The Consultant/Director of Primary Group Global Foundation says he has faced repeated obstruction despite introducing major international funding opportunities to Ghana, and is now appealing directly to President Mahama for intervention.
Mr. Bass, who has been living in Ghana for over a decade, has expressed disappointment towards Republic Bank, ADB, and UMB and close associates of the President who are trying to circumvent him from a grant he introduced into the country from an Italian Financial corporation.
He believes part of the funds he introduced to the country is what the state is using to fund the Government’s Big Push Agenda and other projects in the country. He made reference to a recent announcement made by the President, appointing MiDA as the coordinating body of global grants, a move he suspects was made to ‘circumvent’ him and his organisation from the role they ought to be playing regarding the funds he introduced to the state.
At a press conference held recently in Accra, Mr. Bass was represented by his Lawyer, Mr. Ghanamannti, who mentioned how his client met the Chief of Staff, Hon. Julius Debrah at the Jubilee House, through Listowel, a gentleman believed to be the lawyer to the Chief of Staff.
“I was then taken to a meeting with the Chief of Staff, Mr Julius Debrah, on 3rd March, (2025) accompanied by a gentleman by the name Listowell, also Kwame Nuako, and Nana Yaw Appiah. In this meeting I presented MAEC documents to the Chief of Staff and informed him that we will need multiple banks in the country, to bring all the funds necessary to complete the projects. The Chief of Staff asked me to leave it with him, and it will be done” Mr. Bass said.
After the meeting with the Chief of Staff, Mr. Bass claims he was directed to open accounts with ADB, and UMB which he did on May 20th and June 22nd respectively for both banks. Since then Mr. Lawrence Addison, Listowell, Kwame Nuako, and Nana Yaw Appiah attended meetings at the banks as they were the ones who introduced him to the banks, through the Chief of Staff.
Before ABD and UMB banks, Mr. Bass mentioned that he had created an account with Republic Bank on 28th October, 2024. Where the bank went further to ascertain the source of the funds and the results were positive. According to Mr. Bass, it has been close to a year and Republic Bank has seized any form of communication with him, and all the people he shared sensitive information with have abandoned him.
The POA of Primary Group Global Foundation, Mr. Michael Bass shared that all attempts to speak directly to the parties involved in bringing the funds into Ghana has proved futile:
“… and when calling the CEO of UMB, he heard my voice and hung the phone on me, and others have called me, and other individuals have contacted, attempting to ask me not to consider legal action. And we have clear reason to suspect that we have been circumvented by all parties”.
“As a Foundation registered in Ghana, and bringing funding to the continent of Africa, we should not be in the position where we are subjected to this kind of corruption and wrongdoing” added in the statement.
According to Mr. Bass, he attempted to bring some funding into the country from ITI UNESCO and he was faced with same challenge: “I tried to bring another source of funding into the country in 2014, and was met with same obstacles, only this time, they have gotten away with what they attempted prior”
Speaking on behalf of Mr. Bass, Lawyer Ghanamannti added that “So this press conference is to plead to his Excellency President John Mahama to hear him and call those involved to understand their side of the story. He is claiming that his organisation has brought in some amount of money to help Ghana’s Reset Agenda.
The Lawyer insists that ‘when the funds have been brought in; the people who are interfacing should not will try to circumvent the organisation’. And he fears, the people who served as introductries to the banks and Chief of Staff may be sharing false communication to the Chief of Staff.
