Members of Parliament(MPs) from the Minority Caucus on the Foreign Affairs Committee have rejected the government’s GHS1.3 billion budget for the construction of a new Accra International Conference Centre(AICC).
The government planned to demolish and rebuild the AICC at a cost of €116million (GHS1.3 billion).
This was contained in the budget allocation for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration for the 2023 fiscal year.
The committee also successfully blocked proposals to open new Ghanaian Embassies in Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago and Mexico.
According to Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, MP for North Tongu, “the government cannot be defaulting on its loan obligations & imposing crude haircuts, particularly on pensions for the vulnerable aged & still be pursuing fanciful projects which can be deferred to better economic times in the future.”
This comes after the Minority MPs on the Trade, Industry and Tourism Committee of Parliament rejected the GH¢80 million additional budgetary allocation for the National Cathedral.
According to Ranking Member on the Committee, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, officials from the Tourism Ministry failed to account for the over GH¢339 million already spent on the project.
He said they also failed to answer the committee’s questions about the allocation convincingly.
“We asked for a vote, and I think today God was on the people of Ghana’s side. We voted, and we were in the majority,” Mr Armah-Kofi Buah said.
The Ranking Member, however, worried that the majority may overturn the decision with their numbers when it is put before the plenary.