We were the best among the worst - Dr. Asiedu Sarpong on Ghana's Covid-19 management

Kwame Asiedu Sarpong, has backed calls for further investigation into the Covid-19 expenditure infractions.

In the Auditor General’s report concerning Covid-19 expenditures from March 2020 to June 2022, it was revealed that millions of Ghana cedis had been lost through profligate and reckless spending.

Some of the infractions that were uncovered include; paying a total of US$607,419.02 out of US$4,049,460.12 for the purchase of 26 ambulances that were never delivered, paying unapproved GH ₵151,500 by the Information Ministry to its own staff as Covid insurance, and paying for $80 million worth of vaccines by the government that was never delivered, amongst others.

However, some government communicators have argued that with Ghana ranking very high with regards to the country’s Covid-19 management, such probes into Covid-19 expenditure are unnecessary.

Reacting to this, Dr.

Kwame Asiedu Sarpong said the argument is flawed and rather makes a mockery of the country.

According to him, Ghana was merely compared to the worst performing countries in relation to Covid-19 management, and, therefore, there was nothing to celebrate.

“Anytime I hear a comparison ‘oh an African country is the best among Africans’, you’ve got to look at the testing rate in Africa.

It was that bad.

“So if you are the best among the worst and you read the Brookings Institute’s report to justify that I find that ludicrous.

We are talking about a global pandemic where people were testing at scale.