Vice-President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has found laughable, a former deputy BoG Governor’s defence of the ¢4.6bn contract – over 200 times higher than the next bidder.
The same contract to allow subscribers to send monies from their phones to all other mobile networks and banks and vice-versa has been done for barely ¢18 million.
Government has in effect saved the taxpayer some ¢990 million.
But the former deputy Governor at the Bank of Ghana, Dr Johnson Asiama, last Monday defended the 2016 decision to award the ¢4.6bn contract to Sibtonswitch deemed fishy and inflated.
He said the inter-operability service the BoG had wanted Sibtonswitch to implement was far bigger in scope than what had been announced by government even though he admitted he did not know the exact scope of the current system.
Dr Asiama argued out that comparing the cost of the project envisaged by the BoG in 2016 and the one launched last week was like comparing elephants and antelopes.
The information ministry responded to the technocrat’s explanation, insisting the cost constituted an “unjustified extortion”.
The vice-president, in what appears to be his style of hitting back, has also taken a bite, using his invitation as a special guest of honour at the launch of a new payment system by a private company, PaySwitch.
“I hope Payswitch, you didn’t spend ¢4.6bn on your development,” he laughed, asking the PaySwitch CEO in an apparent jab at the Mahama government and the former deputy BoG Governor.
“One company bid ¢14m…another company for the same scope of work bid ¢5m and yet another company …bid ¢4.6bn. And guess who won?” he invited the audience to see what government has said is a rip-off.
Dr Bawumia explained, the interoperability system in Ghana “has not been done in Africa”.
In countries like Kenya, Tanzania, the standard interoperability system in Africa allows subscribers to send money from their phones on one network to another without any third party player.
But what has been done in Ghana is to rope in the banks so that a subscriber can also send money from his phone to his bank account and vice versa, he explained.
In effect, a subscriber can send money to any mobile network and any bank linked to the system.
“We are doing something that is unique” he said and added that there are plans to also add E-Zwich payment system, which allows cashless payments for goods and services.
Laughing at the explanation offered by his former colleague, Dr Bawumia who was once a former deputy Governor wondered how it can be claimed that the ¢4.6bn contract was going to provide a much bigger scope than what is now a record in Africa.
“We have become the leading country in interoperability in Africa so what other scope were you thinking about?” he wanted to know.
“I mean what more do you want to do if you become the leading country as far as interoperability is concerned? What more scope are you going to provide?”, he mocked in his signature laughter.
After his extempore comments, he returned to his prepared speech. “I thought I would add that as an aside”, he said and followed his text.
Source: Today
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DR BAWUMIA DONT MIND THE NDC CREATE LOOT AND SHARE ***barred word***. ALL THEY KNOW IS CHOP, CHOP.SOMETHING WILL WILL COST ONLY 18 MILLION YOU PEOPLE HAVE INCREASE TO TO FOUR AND A HALF BILLION CEDIS OH WHY?NDC AND JOHN MAHAMA WILL CONTINUE TO LOOSE ELECTIONS IN GHANA. NOW GHANAIANS KNOW THEY ARE REALLY ***barred word***.
If you cancel a contract, you must provide a reason for it. Today the price is only GHS18M. We will note this in our diaries.
Indeed GOD saved GH with NDC booted out in 2016. eeeeh 18 Million compared to 4.6 Billion WHAAAAAAAAAT. 4,600, 000, 000. 18, 000, 000. Figuratively this is how this scam of the NDC looked like. Even the extension of 600 Million alone in the 4.6 Billion is about over 30 times what has been used to get this INTER-OPERABILITY operational by the NPP not to think of the 4 Billion that rests breket33 untouched. aaah aden? You may understand now why I tag JDM'S NDC as wickedly corrupt people. Nyame be tua all who were involved in this ka baako, baako. yaaamutu. mutu banza
Bawumia always make mockery at any suggestions or objctions by the NDC without thinking through. His wife does same. Bawumia has used this tactics way back in opposition and he is still using it. Dr. Bawumia should note that he is causing the country more harm than good. Where is his Post GPS app? if Yes, how many Ghanaians use it ? He looted our national purse milloins of Dollars with claims of bringing a Post GPS. little did he know that Google app is far more comprehensive and cheaper than his Postal app. Bawumia Ghanaians will forever take your words as rhetoric .
Bawumia the Mocking Man
We are seeing all of them one-by-one. Sheeps in wolves clothing. He (Asiamah) has been infected with CLS (create-loot-share). NPP knows what they are doing. @ SECOND IN COMMAND: Don't worry bro, things will get better under NPP. They need to clean the massive mess crerated by John Ford Mahama first. Rome wasn't built in a day and America (richest country on earth) still have unemployment and dealing with poverty issues. Can't you see what NADAA/Bawumia have done in just 1 and half YEAR! We will get to the promise land. #WebHunter #WebHunter
"Let's love Ghana for once" i meant to say. But still on the issue, we must see the NDC for what it is. Whiles baaaddd people are present everywhere - even in the church, the NDC is gaining notoriety for being a cunning assemblage of very very baaaaaaadd politricksians! I was worried when Dr Asiamah "was made to resign" (eventhough they made it appear who took the decision himself), it's now turning out that those currently in charge knew what they were doing! Else how could he defend this GHS 4.6B deal. So it cannot be funny. It is very very bad!
Am happy you said aside FREE SHS what has NPP done. By the way can you tell me anything that NDC did which is better than FREE SHS.
@Frank: No it's not funny. When the NDC nearly took from us GHS 4.6B for something that should cost GHS 4M, that is not funny at all. It is an ASTONOMICAL create-loot-an-share (CLS)scheme. It cannot be funny when a former Governor is purported to have issued a statement, who later denies it, and his former deputy comes to defend the content of those statement. That is not funny but a massive face-safing scheme that backfired. How is it funny when that deputy Governor who confesses to not knowing the scope of the current project, proceed to say it is much lower in scope than his own GHS 4.6B CLS of an interoperability project? And indeed it is not funny when one then says the NDC should be avoided (like a plague!) - that is the only logical conclusion. Let's show we love Ghana for ones and not our parties.
Bawumia think he know everything,after given him the power what has he done to this country,he is just collapsing banks and business....Now Abossey Okai spare traders are crying...Now our Banking system is poor,aside Free SHS what else did Bawumia and his Government do.... they are just looping the state funds investing it in their business,i personal vote for NPP but things are not going well at all...a lot of people are complaining too much hardship in the system....Nana Addo Disappoint Ghanaian's a lot