NDC deliberately creating negative sentiments- Deputy Information Minister

Deputy Information Minister, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah has accused Minority MP’s of deliberately creating negative public sentiments against the New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration.

According to him, the National Democratic Congress (NDC)Members of Parliament in a series of news conferences, have constantly leveled unproven allegations against Ken Ofori-Atta and the New Patriotic Party (NPP). 
The Minority led by Haruna Iddrisu Tuesday held a press conference and accused the government of breaching the procurement laws by awarding a contract to a private company, McDan Shipping.

The NDC said the Finance Minister also approved a GHȻ10million loan from ADB Bank to McDan Shipping, again without the approval of the Board.

Speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show Wednesday, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah observed, the NDC is on a mission “with the objective of making accusations that the Finance Ministry or the Finance Minister, has done something problematic or has been in a conflict of interest position.”

“And every time, we in government make the point that it is a deliberate strategy just to create negative sentiments and there’s nothing else [in it]. There’s no substance to it,” Mr. Nkrumah said.
The Deputy Minister clarified: “The bank did its normal business and decided that its client [McDan Shipping] was qualified to do this business.”
According to Mr. Nkrumah, the management of ADB bank requested approval from significant shareholders of the bank for McDan’s loan application.
He said the Finance Minister who is the custodian of Government’s 34% shares in the bank, simply replied to the bank’s request for approval for the credit facility to McDan Shipping Company which had secured a contract from the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD). 

He said it became necessary for the management of ADB to seek shareholders’ approval because its board of directors was yet to be constituted. The Minister, therefore, sanctioned the transaction subject to due diligence by the management of the bank, the Deputy Minister stressed.
Responding to the Minority’s allegation that the contract to McDan was awarded on single sourcing in violation of the procurement laws, Mr. Oppong Nkrumah said, “COCOBOD has a pool of clearing agents that it uses to clear some of its items that come to the ports…within this pool is the company McDan and it is pursuant to that, that COCOBOD gave that allocation for them to go clear their things at the port.
“Nothing untoward has happened in this case,” he affirmed.