Ablakwa Caught In GETFund Saga

The dust over the brouhaha surrounding the list of beneficiaries of GETFund scholarships, is far from over as new details are emerging.

In the latest twist to the GETFund circus, it has been revealed that some persons not clothed with the authority to act on behalf of the Secretariat have done so in the past.

A document intercepted by THE NEW PUBLISHER indicates that the former Deputy Minister in charge of Tertiary Education, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa under the erstwhile Mahama administration signed Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU) on behalf of the Secretariat when according to sources he had no capacity to do so.

The latest development flies in the face of Mr. Ablakwa’s vehement denials in the wake of the GETFund issue that he has not had any dealings with the Secretariat when in office.

The MOU dated March 16, 2016 was signed between the then deputy education Minister, Mr. Okudzeto Ablakwa on behalf of GETFund and one Dr. Monica Gulati, the Registrar of Lovely Professional University (LPU) in India.

The MOU stated in part “GETFund, Ghana has tied up with LPU to provide access to quality higher education to the students of Ghana. GETFund intends to further work with LPU which has already made significant contribution in the area of higher education in India to guide and mentor universities/Colleges and other organizations in Ghana”.

A performance audit report of the Auditor-General on the administration of scholarships by GETFund revealed that Education Minister Matthew Opoku-Prempeh, Procurement Minister and Deputy Majority Leader in Parliament, Sarah Adwoa Safo as well as the Executive Secretary of the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA), Prince Hamidu Armah have all benefitted from the Fund.

This news has subsequently raised a lot of controversies with some people arguing that GETFund is for needy but brilliant students not prominent and public officeholders.

Mr Ablakwa vehemently spoke against the act by his fellow MPs, however, a source at GETFund also told the paper that the North Tongu MP does not have the power to have signed the MOU document on behalf of the Secretariat.