Sack Agyeman Manu over messy Sputnik-V vaccine procurement deal – Martin Kpebu

A Private Legal Practitioner, Martin Kpebu, has called on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to sack the Health Minister, Kwaku Agyeman Manu.

According to him, the Minister has not shown prudence in the handling of the procurement of the Sputnik – V vaccine for the national inoculation exercise.

A Norwegian news tabloid, Verdens Gang, reported that Ghana has made a request to purchase 3.4 million doses of the Sputnik V vaccine through two businessmen who are selling it to Ghana at $19 per dose instead of the $10 per dose on the international market.

This has generated public uproar, with the Minority in Parliament and others calling for the cancellation of the deal.

However, the government has explained that it could not secure the vaccines directly from the manufacturer, hence the need to go through some middlemen, and that explains why the cost is higher than the standard price of the Russian vaccine.

But Martin Kpebu in an interview Citi News insisted that the Health Minister has failed in that regard.

He said the least the President can do is to sack him.

“He should know that Ghanaians are very vigilant; so this one, I think the Health Minister has been too sloppy and the least the President can do is to sack him. The President should know that we are very angry with what the Health Minister has done, he has not shown prudence at all and has also shown no sensitivity to how Ghanaians react to issues of money.”

The Minority in Parliament is demanding the immediate abrogation of the contract.

According to the Ranking Member on the Health Committee, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, revelations about the government procuring vaccines at $19 per dose instead of $10 smacks of financial impropriety and cost inflation.

“The minority in Parliament will urge the government to reconsider both terms of this contract with particular emphasis on price and work assiduously through proper diplomatic and approved channels to secure COVID-19 vaccines for Ghanaians.”

He also believes the deal should have gone to Parliament for approval because it passes for an international agreement.

“This contract is unconstitutional, null, and void and the government should abrogate and refrain from making any payment with respect to this contract before laying the entirety of the contract before Parliament for scrutiny and subsequent approval.”