Minister for Foreign Affairs Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has refuted claims circulating on social media that he has awarded a $5.2 million contract for the renovation of Ghana’s embassy in Benin.
In a Facebook post on Monday, September 8, Mr Ablakwa described the allegations as baseless and urged the public to treat them “with utter contempt”.
“Treat with utter contempt the false claims that I have awarded a renovation contract for our embassy in Benin at a cost of US$5.2million,” he wrote.
Mr Ablakwa clarified that he has not authorised any renovation or construction contracts for Ghanaian embassies anywhere in the world.
“For the record, I have not awarded any embassy renovation contract anywhere in the world. Let me be clear: not a single embassy renovation or construction contract has been awarded by me since I became Foreign Minister,” he stated.
Mr Ablakwa further emphasised that his tenure has been marked by prudent financial management and the protection of public funds.
He revealed that he had, in fact, cancelled a controversial $3.5 million contract for renovation works on Ghana’s embassy in Abidjan.
“On the contrary, I have rather protected taxpayers by cancelling a US$3.5 million single-source midnight contract to renovate our embassy in Abidjan, which was awarded on 7th November, 2024,” he disclosed.
Mr Ablakwa reaffirmed his commitment to upholding transparency and public trust, aligning with President John Mahama’s ‘Reset Agenda’, which aims to restore credibility, accountability, and integrity in public office.
“I shall never betray the trust of the Ghanaian people as we work tirelessly, and with integrity, to achieve President Mahama’s Reset Agenda,” he concluded.