May 6, 2024

The Majority caucus of Ghana’s Parliament has commended media house The Fourth Estate owned by Manase Azure for holding government in ensuring that the democracy we are practicing as a country is sustained through interventions such as what he undertook to bring up issues of SLM monitoring of petroleum in the downstream sector.

Majority Leader, Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin addressing the media further went on to commend the President H. E. Nana Akufo-Addo for not sweeping such report under the carpet by being bold and courageous to do further interrogation which led to a referral to a reputable firm KPMG to look at the contract critically.

The Majority leader further noted that the report came up with some recommendations which the Majority side has become aware of that after the president received the report of KPMG, he went into action by issuing certain directives to GRA which in their view would help address some procedural challenges that the contract itself presents.

It is clear from the KPMG report that, what the company is doing especially in the downstream of the petroleum sector it critical and had helped government to generate revenue. Prior to their engagement, we had a lot of leakages with the manual system which made it difficult for government to determine in real time such revenues, he added.

“It’s clear from the report of KPMG which the president gave highlight to GRA that this company does not only have experience, what they are doing is a novelty”.

“Meanwhile, we are aware our friends in the NDC are calling for certain prosecution; “I think they have not paid attention to the whole issue and they just want to do politics as usual their call is unfounded, there is no establishment of proof of any officer of state causing financial lose.

Again, what they think are payments to SML are not those that of government revenue; if you look at the agreement they are paid out of what they generate. NDC has to pay attention to the details they have been paid zero point zero five percent of a litter of revenue they generate as a result of the system they have put in place to monitor the downstream activity of our petroleum sector.”

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com