According to officials, evidence shows that the country lost a substantial amount of money from the sale, hence the need for a probe.

It has also emerged that most fisher folks who purchased the outboard motors during the previous administration did not pay the required amount leading to losses.

Speaking on the matter, the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development, Elizabeth Afoley Quaye was clear that, “we cannot continue to be increasing the debt burden of the nation.”

“We have to find out; how many people have even repaid the cost of the outboard motors which was subsidized for them?”

The Minister noted that, ensuring these monies are paid back will inure to the benefit of fisher folk nationwide as “we can plow back the monies into getting more outboard motors for the rest of the fisher folk so we are investigating that.”

As part of some social interventions, the National Democratic Congress distributed over 2,000 outboard motors at subsidised costs to improve the fishing sector.

Making use of data

In the mean time, the Ministry is also strengthening its data collection to ensure transparency and help keep track of the outboard motors.

“… that’s why we want to intensify the registration of the canoes. When the canoes are registered, we can link them to specific fishermen then we know how many fishermen need outboard motors.”

Mrs. Afoley Quaye added that “by next year [2018] we will be giving out some outboard motors when we are sure of the number of people who need them.”

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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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Konibah and Augustine Ofori Andoh, Deputy Constituency Secretary of the NDC, are facing a provisional charge of defrauding under false pretense.

Their pleas have not been taken and they would reappear  before court on Wednesday, April 12.

Prosecuting, Police Detective Sergeant Richard Amoah, said from June to August last year, the accused persons collected a total of GHs 87,000.00 from 13 fishermen in the area under the pretext of supplying them with outboard motors but failed to do so.

He said all efforts by the victims to retrieve their monies failed when the accused person could not provide the outboard motors, and therefore lodged a complaint with the Police resulting in the Chairman and his accomplice’s arrest.

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Source: GNA

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The Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII), had accused the President of abusing incumbency and indulging in electoral corruption, for distributing the outboard motors among other items.

According to GII, this abuse of incumbency became apparent when the Spokesperson of the National Democratic Congress’ (NDC) campaign, Joyce Bawa Bogtari, revealed to the media that the distribution of the outboard motors and other items formed part of the state’s interventions.

But speaking on Eyewitness News, Mr. Batidam, who claimed he was not privy to the President’s move, strongly defended it, saying “the outboard motors that were distributed were actually included in government’s budget for the year.”

“It is not as though state items were suddenly being distributed but that the policy of government was approved.”

Mr. Batidam, who was once a campaigner for good governance and spoke strongly against corruption, said the President cannot be accused of abusing incumbency if he is taking advantage of an intervention that inures to his benefit.

“If it is just about saying that a President cannot undertake government policies or activities during a campaign period which are likely to inure to his benefit then I think we get the argument wrong because the same President would have to deal with any negative or disadvantageous situation that he has to encounter,”he argued,

Distribution of outboard motors worse than vote buying

The GII had already publicly chided President Mahama for the distribution describing it as worse than vote buying. The Executive Director of GII, Linda Ofori Kwafo, said it was “akin to abuse of office.”

Pro-opposition group, ‘The Truth Forum’, also cautioned President John Mahama to desist from what it called the distribution of freebies to buy votes ahead of the December 7 elections.

According to one of the leaders of the group, Yaw Buaben Asamoah, President Mahama’s gift giving on the campaign trail in the name of public policy initiatives is not only a waste of the country’s resources but demeaning to the country’s democracy.

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By: Marian Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Outboard motor distribution not abuse of incumbency – Batidam appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.