The contract between Ghana Airport Company (GACL) and Frontiers Healthcare Services for COVID-19 testing at Kotoka International Airport (KIA) has been controversial since it was initiated in September 2020.
There have been ongoing concerns raised about potential irregularities and lack of transparency around the procurement and terms of the deal.
The contract first came under public scrutiny when it was revealed that in just four months between September to December 2020, Frontiers Healthcare had accrued $16.2 million from the testing while GACL received only $1.1 million.
This large disparity raised allegations that Ghana may have been shortchanged in the deal considering Frontiers’ tiny share compared to the huge sums retained by the private company.
Further questions emerged about whether established local institutions like Noguchi could have conducted the testing instead of awarding the contract to a new foreign company on opaque terms.
Years later, the contract is still relevant because the full terms and procurement process that led to Frontiers’ selection remain undisclosed.
There is significant public interest in understanding why such a highly lucrative COVID-19 testing contract at the country’s main airport was awarded to a new company under strange circumstances during a national pandemic.
Now here is a chronology of the exchanges between JoyNews and the Ghana Airport Company Limited leading to the fine by the RTI Commission!
- September 9, 2022: JoyNews submits an RTI request to the Ghana Airport Company Limited (GACL) asking for information related to the COVID-19 testing contract with Frontiers Healthcare Services Ltd. This includes a copy of the contract and financial details.
- September 19, 2022: GACL responds saying they cannot disclose the contract or financial information due to exemptions under Section 10 of the RTI Act. They also say they do not have information on the procurement processes leading to Frontiers’ selection.
- February 3, 2023: The RTI Commission orders GACL to release the contract and other requested information to JoyNews within 7 days, stating it does not fall under the exemptions claimed.
- February 2023: JoyNews complains to the RTI Commission that GACL has failed to comply with the order to release the information.
- August 23, 2023: The RTI Commission imposes a GHC 200,000 administrative penalty on GACL for failing to comply with its directives to release the information to JoyNews.
- September 7, 2023: GACL writes to the RTI Commission requesting a 1-week extension to gather and submit the information. They also request a waiver of the GHC 200,000 penalty.
- September 2023: The RTI Commission denies GACL’s request for a waiver of the penalty, but grants a final 1-week extension for submitting the information. The Commission states it has no power to waive the penalty already imposed.
In summary, the fine was imposed after multiple failed attempts by the RTI Commission to get GACL to comply with orders to release information requested by JoyNews under the RTI Act after almost a year.
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DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.
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