Former Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Catherin Afeku
The organisers of the Kundum festival for the Upper and Lower Axim communities in the Western Region, have said they know nothing of some GH¢200,000 that the Auditor-General’s 2020 report says was divert from the Marine Drive project into the festival by the Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry in 2018 during the tenure of Mrs Catherine Afeku.
The Auditor-General’s 2020 report on the public accounts of Ghana at the Ministries, Departments and other Agencies (MDAs) said funds meant for the Marine Drive project amounting to GH¢387,196 were misapplied for the celebration of AFRIMA, Kundum festival and other activities.
This, according to the report, is in contravention of Section 7 of the Public Financial Management Act, 2016 (Act 921).
An amount of GHS73,000 was used for the payment of additional expenditure for Mrs Abelema Afeku’s trip to the Volta Region between 15 and 18 June 2018 while she was a minister of tourism.
Accountable imprest for the Minister to travel to the Western Region on an official assignment also amounted to GH¢13, 296.
GH¢900.00 was used to pay allowances for the bid opening panel for procurement of vehicles on 3rd May 2018.
GHS100,000 was released to Palm Media Ghana Ltd for the launch of AFRIMA 2018, which took place from 17 to 19 May 2018.
The report also noted that GH¢200,000 was used to support the Kundum festival, which took place from 1 to 9 September 2021.
The report, therefore, recommended that “the Chief Director should ensure a refund from the operations account into the Marine Drive project account, failing which the amount should be recovered from the Chief Director”.
The report further revealed that in contravention of Section 52 of the Public Financial Management Act, 2016 (Act 921), five official vehicles were in the possession of three former officials, including Mrs Afeku, who separated from the Ministry through reassignment and terminations.
“We recommended that the Chief Director should ensure the recovery of the vehicles from the above-named individuals. We further recommended that the use of the vehicles by the individuals should attract rental charges at the current rental rate for the period during which the vehicles have been in their possession,” the report indicated.
However, the organisers of the festival, in a statement signed by the Chairman of the committee, who doubles as the Nkosuohene of the Lower Axim Traditional Area in the Western Region, Nana Osei Nkwantabisa, said: “During the 2018 Kundum Festival celebration, the Tourism, and Creative Arts Ministry officially and solely donated GHS7,000, to the Planning Committee to be distributed to Axim’s two traditional leaders (Upper and Lower).”
They noted: “In 2019, an amount of GH¢5,000 was received from Madam Catherine Afeku’s office as then-Member of Parliament for our constituency to aid the successful organisation” of the festival, adding that no funds were received from either the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Arts or Mrs Afeku’s office “to assist with the aftermath of any Kundum festival projects, including the theatre project.”