Agams Holdings, the parent\u00a0company that operates technology firm,\u00a0Rlg Communications, has rejected claims that it has been blacklisted by government and cannot\u00a0benefit from projects under the Ghana Youth Employment and Entrepreneurial Development Agency (GYEEDA), now the Youth Employment Agency (YEA).<\/p>\n
The company in a statement said, “At the time of filing this response, neither our Holding company or any of its subsidiaries had been informed officially of any blacklisting and for the avoidance of doubt, none of our companies have been blacklisted anywhere in the world including Ghana”.<\/p>\n
The Minister of Employment, Haruna Iddrisu in December 2015, announced that government will not award contracts to any company that was indicted in the corruption scandal that hit the then Ghana Youth Employment and Entrepreneurial Development Agency (GYEEDA).<\/p>\n
Although the Minister did not mention the names of any company, the assumption was that it included \u00a0included Zoomlion and Rlg, which were some of the major firms contracted under the programme.<\/p>\n
[contextly_sidebar id=”0enANhH8EmKuwxmraGNRQ7L1KAKupmS7″]Haruna Iddrisu said government has decided to blacklist all the companies in a move to serve as a deterrent to others and to curb corruption in the country.<\/p>\n
But\u00a0the statement from the Agams Holdings said they have not received any information in that regard.<\/p>\n
The company further cautioned pressure groups like Occupy Ghana, which had been a major critic, to desist from \u00a0tarnishing its image.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe therefore caution against any attempt by any person or group of people to malign our name, brand and reputation,\u201d the statement added.<\/p>\n
We’ve settled a\u00a0debt of GHc2m to gov’t<\/strong><\/p>\n On the GYEEDA corruption scandal, the company stated that\u00a0it has refunded a sum of GHc 2,050,590.42 to government as at the end of December 2014.<\/p>\n \u201cAn amount of GHC 2,050,590.42 paid on 31st December, 2014 finalized the installment payments of the total amounts owed the state, including accumulated interests,\u201d a statement from the company said.<\/p>\n Rlg and other firms\u00a0were indicted in the Ghana Youth Employment and Entrepreneurial Development Agency (GYEEDA) scandal for withdrawing monies from the state for the\u00a0training of some Ghanaians in IT programmes, but bloated the amount due them.<\/p>\n Government in 2012 ordered for an investigation into activities of the Agency and subsequently terminated the contracts with the various companies.\u00a0The name was changed to the Youth Employment Agency (YEA).<\/p>\n The Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Marietta Brew Appiah Oppong, told the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament recently, that Rlg and another company of the Agams Holdings Group, Asontaba Cottage Industry Limited,\u00a0had settled their indebtedness<\/a><\/strong><\/span> to the state.<\/p>\n She said the two companies had paid the amount with interest.<\/p>\n The statement from the Agams Holdings further said \u201cRlg Communications Ltd has settled its indebtedness to the Youth Employment Agency, formerly Ghana Youth Employment & Entrepreneurial Agency (GYEEDA) and therefore does NOT owe government or for that matter, the YEA.\u201d<\/p>\n Below are excerpts of the statements:<\/strong><\/p>\n –<\/p>\n By: Godwin A. Allotey\/citifmonline.com\/Ghana<\/p>\n\n
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