EC Explains why it Used Ghc1.5 million for PPE Procurement

Ghana’s Electoral Commission (EC) has given justifications for its use of over GHC1.5m to procure Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs).

The Deputy Chairperson of the EC, Dr Eric Bossman Asare in an interview on Joy FM said the commission was procuring these PPEs not only for the upcoming registration exercise, but also, other impending activities scheduled for the year.

"The Commission has over 33,000 registration centres, the price of just a thermometer gun could be between GHC300 to GHC500. So if you are even buying this for 7000 centres lets be clear how much it will cost. Remember we are not only procuring for the upcoming registration exercise, but we will also procure for our exhibition, voting by proxy as well as the elections itself, so we have our election teams and they are putting all the measures in place to ensure everyone is safe".

His comments follows earlier concerns raised by the Minority in Parliament over EC’s source of funding for the purchase of these PPEs.

The Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu said the EC did not make any provision for the procurement of these equipment. Hence, the need to clarify the matter

“The EC in its Statement alleged that they did not receive any PPEs from Government. The question that the EC must answer is how it came by the PPEs it claimed were enough for the intended compilation of a new Voters Register, which has been wildly condemned by Civil Society, and well-meaning Ghanaians.

“The E.C. needed to be reminded that the Commission did not make any provision for the procurement of PPEs in its 2020 budget as approved by Parliament in December since no one anticipated the pandemic at the time of the approval of the budget,”

The Member of Parliament for Tamale South Constituency said the clarification will help to restore the integrity of the Electoral Commission which is already battered.