The Ministry of Transport Joseph Nikpe Bukari has dismissed allegations from the Minority in Parliament that it overspent its 2025 capital expenditure by nearly GH¢10 million.
Addressing the media, the Ministry clarified that the funds referenced by the Minority had been approved by the Ministry of Finance and were used to service loans contracted under the Akufo-Addo administration for the construction of Ghana Maritime Authority (GMA) office complexes in Tema, Accra, and Takoradi.
The Transport Minister emphasised that the Ministry acted lawfully and in accordance with the Public Financial Management Act.
“The Ghana Maritime Authority in 2021-2022 contracted some loans from Ecobank and other financial institutions, but the repayment wasn’t catered for in the budget. So the Ghana Maritime Authority wrote to me asking me to do the same to the Minister for Finance to allow us to service the loan that they contracted,” he explained.
“The loan that they took to build the Tema office block, the Accra office, and the Takoradi office. So we were rather making provisions to continue with the construction of the project that they took money for and couldn’t finish,” the Minister added.
Minister Bukari further stressed that claims of overspending were unfounded.
“It is not that we overspend. In any case, if you are not approved for any amount of money, you don’t have it in the first place. So how do you overspend? It was within our budget, and the Public Financial Management Act section 32 allows any other spending officer to write to the Minister of Finance to make a payment for you to cater for your daily operations,” he said.