The $3m African Games Cash Controversy: GBC Boss Fires, Minister Responds

The 13th African Games, successfully hosted by Ghana, is being marred with controversy over monies paid for the broadcast of the event.

The host, Ministry of Youth and Sports and the state broadcaster, Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC), are telling stories about how much was paid and benefited, respectively, leaving a topic for discussion for the general public, since Monday.

The state broadcaster had denied being paid over $3 million for the broadcast of the 13th African Games. GBC has told Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) that it only benefited some $105,000 million and nothing more. But the Ministry of Sports has rebutted, giving better and further particulars to clarify the issue.

PAC

The Ministry of Youth and Sports, led by the Minister, Mustapha Ussif, appeared before the PAC on Monday, August 19, 2024 to respond to issues raised by the Auditor General in its report.

While at the hearing, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Ningo Prampram, Sam George, raised a public interest concern that some of the technicians who worked during the African Games had claimed that they had still not been paid.

“You had an arrangement with GBC to cover the All African Games. Can you share with this committee how much that coverage was for and whether payment has been made for same?” the NDC legislator asked.

Responding to the question, the Minister for Sports stated that: “Yes, GBC was the official broadcaster for the 13th All African Games and I can confirm that full payment has been made to GBC. I can’t remember the exact amount, but I know that it is in excess of $3 million.”

GBCFIRES

The GBC Director General, Prof. Amin Alhassan, upon hearing the claim by the Minister at PAC, refuted it in an interview and wrote a letter to PAC on the subject.

In the letter, dated August 20, 2024 and addressed to the Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament, the GBC Director General, Prof. Amin Alhassan, clarified that per an agreement with the Ministry of Youth and Sports, GBC, as the Official Broadcaster, was to supervise the technical production teams that were to bring into the country their own production equipment and to undertake the production of the African Games.

“It is important to make it clear that GBC was the official broadcaster but not responsible for the technical production of the games. The technical production was outsourced, as GBC did not have the equipment to produce the games.

“As a result, three other organizations; PGS, Quality Media Production and The Production Room were responsible for the technical production,” he wrote and attached documents.

“Of the total payments made for the Games, GBC was only entitled to one hundred and five thousand US dollars (USD 105,000.00). Therefore, the statement that GBC was paid “in excess of three million US dollars” comes as a surprise,” the letter added.

Meanwhile, GBC also refuted claims by Samuel Nartey George that most of the technicians who worked on the African games have still not been paid.

“GBC wishes to put it on record that there are no outstanding payments to local technicians who were engaged by GBC to work on the African Games. All payments to local service providers have been effected. There are no outstanding payments to be effected,” the letter noted.

CLARIFICATION

Following the letter GBC sent to PAC, the Ministry of Youth and Sport issued a statement to provide clarifications, demonstrating that the Minister was not wrong with his statement to PAC.

The Ministry clarified that through the Local Organising Committee, it received proposals from various stakeholders for the production and broadcasting rights for the 13th African Games.

The statement said some organisations submitted proposals in excess of $6 million, but that of GBC’s was the lowest.

It added that, with the understanding that GBC will use the services of third parties to assist them in implementing their obligations, the total agreed amount was $3.6 million.

“Subsequently, an agreement was reached between the two institutions: the Ministry and GBC. From the total amount, $2.5 million was paid directly to GBC in two tranches: $1 million and $1.5 million on 13th March, 2024 and 22nd May, 2024 respectively.

“Another amount of $1 million was paid to third parties upon the instructions of GBC, in accordance with the contract. As a public institution, we are committed to transparency and accountability in the discharge of our mandate.”

The ministry has shared with the public the contract documents, as well as a letter from GBC, acknowledging payment made by the Sports Ministry to GBC, and asked for the outstanding, which was paid in May as well.

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