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23.09.2014 General News

How Ayariga 'profited' from Afriyie Ankrah's calamity at Sports Ministry

By MyJoyOnline
How Ayariga 'profited' from Afriyie Ankrah's calamity at Sports Ministry
23.09.2014 LISTEN

Youth and Sports Minister, Mahama Ayariga says the experience of his predecessor culminating in the setting up of a presidential Commission of Inquiry into Ghana's participation at the 2014 World Cup, has served as useful tool to his quest to reform the sector.

Describing the Ministry as “very tempting”, Mr. Ayariga said on Joy FM's Super Morning Show, Tuesday, the current structure at the Ministry “cannot function effectively”.

He revealed how he had to occasionally cancel out aspects of proposals submitted to him on one philosophy: “If it cannot be discussed on radio then don't bring it to me.”

“This ministry cannot function effectively with this structure because we are not dealing with just the normal institutions…We need to restructure the Ministry to respond to the things we do,” the Minister told host of the Show, Kojo Yankson.

He added: “If we don't do it that way, it is very tempting for any Minister to just shake non-institutional way of getting things done.”


Mr. Larry Acheampong testifying at the Commission last week.

Nerve-racking exposés
He described as worrying, revelations by witnesses at the ongoing public hearing of the Justice Senyo Dzamefe Commission, which is investigating the country's preparation to the just ended World Cup in Brazil.

The Commission last week, heard how the committee set up to oversee activities of the national team, the Black Stars, paid close to $20,000 to an Angolan for providing money transfer services to the delegation while in Brazil. The committee also failed to produce receipts covering all transactions made in the South American country.

Despite the expression of concern, the Minister said he was not surprised at the development because majority of the committee's members are not public servants and were therefore oblivious of the need to comply with the rules while performing their roles on behalf of the state.

"The revelations are worrying but I'm not surprised by many of them because they [the people involved] are not public servants” and therefore do not appreciate the need to follow procurement rules and “ended up running everybody into trouble”.


President John Dramani Mahama.
Fighting corruption
According to Mahama Ayariga, the decision by President John Mahama to establish Commissions of Inquiry to investigate how the public purse was poorly managed by officials has proved to be an effective way of fighting corruption in the country.

“I think that what in my opinion has served us very well in fighting, is the level of readiness of government these days to just say look into it and let everybody see what everybody is doing in this institution and let all publicly condemn them.

“We've enacted laws, we've set up institutions…and yet we still have these issues…That's a more effective way of fighting corruption after you've put in place the laws and institutions,” he stated.

Listen to excerpts of the interview with Mahama Ayariga in the attached audio.

Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | Jerry Tsatro Mordy | [email protected]

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