Akufo-Addo/Bawumia Govt Agrees To Spend GH¢105 M On Black Stars In 2024 AFCON
According to the former Deputy Minister of Education, "I promised in my publication last week on the staggering GHS27.9million taxpayers spent on the Black Stars between 2022 and 2023, that I shall subsequently, in the supreme national interest, share further information on financials relating specifically to the AFCON tournament in Côte d’Ivoire — I intend to keep that promise today. "
Freeman Koryekpor 
NATIONAL Democratic Convention Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament (MP) for North Tongu Constituency of the Volta Region, Honourable Samuel Okudzeto-Ablakwa has stated that the government of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and Ghana Football Association (GFA) have agreed on a Black Stars AFCON budget of an astonishing US$8.5 million (GHS105 million).
According to the former Deputy Minister of Education, "I promised in my publication last week on the staggering GHS27.9million taxpayers spent on the Black Stars between 2022 and 2023, that I shall subsequently, in the supreme national interest, share further information on financials relating specifically to the AFCON tournament in Côte d’Ivoire — I intend to keep that promise today. "
He stated that the government and GFA officials have done everything under the sun to conceal how much they budgeted for the preparation and participation of the Black Stars at the ongoing 2024 AFCON.
Despite strenuous efforts by Parliament and the ever dynamic and courageous Ghanaian sports journalists, he indicated that the Youth and Sports Minister and his allies at the FA have blatantly refused to disclose this basic information — information the Ghanaian people have every right to know.
He noted that under a transparent and accountable governance system, there should be no struggle, hassle, tussle and opacity over the Black Stars AFCON budget.
"It is even more worrying that many days after Ghana’s internationally disgraceful and calamitous exit from the AFCON, and despite several press statements from the Sports Ministry and the FA, they have remained extremely tight-lipped on the Black Stars budget.
"One wonders if Ghana’s AFCON Black Stars budget has become a nuclear code.
"When an unaccountable government employs elaborate inimical schemes to hide information from the people, it is a patriotic duty to go every length to secure that information and bring it to the people’s attention — and SOA Oversight will not fail in that regard," Honourable Okudzeto-Ablakwa said in the statement captured by Soireenews.com.
He added that "From latest unimpeachable, irrefutable and indisputable intercepted documents in my possession — I can boldly confirm that the Ghanaian government and the GFA put together and agreed on a shocking AFCON preparation and participation budget of US$8,506,450.00."
According to him, this hefty US$8.5million translates into a colossal GHS105million at current exchange.
"Note that the GHS105million is entirely separate from the GHS27.9million spent on the qualifiers.
"The figure US$8,506,450.00 is contained in an intercepted letter from the Ministry of Youth and Sports, dated 2nd January, 2024. It is addressed to the Minister of Finance requesting part payment of US$5,071,840.36 from the total Black Stars budget of US$8,506,450.00.
"The request letter in issue is signed by Chief Director of the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Mr. William Kartey on behalf of the Minister, Hon. Mustapha Ussif," he noted.
He stressed that it would be interesting to know what thought processes went into a scary US$8.5million budget for a bankrupt country which has defaulted on its loans and is desperately seeking an IMF bailout.
He noted that the prize money for the winner of the AFCON is US$7million. What this means is that even if the Black Stars had won the trophy, the public officials who put this budget together were determined to ensure that Ghana made losses in excess of US$1.5million.
"I have been wondering how government and FA officials in a country like Zambia can approve a total budget of only US$2.1million for the same AFCON competition and be fine, but Ghana has to live large and ostentatious — a bankrupt country undergoing debt restructuring and unable to construct resettlement homes for victims of VRA’s catastrophic spillage from the Akosombo and Kpong dams.
"A painful addition to the scandalous GHS105million budget is that it did not guarantee success on the pitch either.
"It must be clearer now as to why the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government and FA officials have put up such a brave fight, albeit undemocratic, just to hide the Black Stars AFCON budget," he noted.
He indicated that the Parliament must and will surely probe this astonishing budget when we resume from the 6th of February, 2024.
He said the SOA Oversight shall be back with more explosive intercepted documents at 3pm tomorrow.
