By:Kabah Atawoge

 

Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has identified former president John Dramani Mahama as the Government Official 1 in the Airbus Scandal.

Speaking at a press conference in Accra on Thursday, August 8, the Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng also confirmed the brother of the former president, Samuel Mahama, as intermediary 5.

Giving a brief overview of investigations carried out by his outfit, the OSP confirmed that John Dramani Mahama was identified as Government Official 1 and Individual 1 by UK and US courts respectively but played no role in the acquisition.

“The OSP confirms the identity of the following individuals. The individual described as Government Official 1 by the UK court and Individual 1 by the US court is John Dramani Mahama. He is a citizen of Ghana and was the Vice-President of Ghana from  January 7 2009 to July 24, 2012,” the OSP stated.

 

Former Special Prosecutor Martin Amidu commenced investigations in 2020 into an agreement during Mahama’s administration to procure two military transport aircraft from Airbus for the Ghana Armed Forces.

The former President John Dramani Mahama and his brother Samuel Adam Mahama Foster were alleged to be entangled in the scandal.

A UK court heard charges against Samuel Adam Mahama Foster and his UK friends in the Airbus SE-Ghana case and issued an arrest warrant for them, resulting in an INTERPOL Red Notice.

Background of the Airbus Scandal

Ghana bought three Military Airplanes – C295s – from Airbus. The nation received its first C295 in November 2011. The second aircraft was received in April 2012 and the third in November 2015.

The deals covering them were argued at the time to be in line with the 2009-2012 Strategic Plan of the Ghana Armed Forces.

All three purchases, approved by Ghana’s Parliament after heated disagreements on the floor, were roundly marketed by the government of the day as a drive to modernize Ghana’s Air Force.

Funding for the first two C295s came from a €60,034,636 loan facility from the Deutsche Bank S.A.E.

A further €11,750,000 million loan from the Fidelity Bank Ghana Limited was also approved by Parliament during the period for the acquisition of two DA42 MPP Guardian surveillance aircraft for the Ghana Airforce.

The House also approved a total loan sum of $105,370,177.09 from the Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES) for the purchase of an Embraer E190 jet for the country. The Embraer agreement was to cover related spare parts, relevant accessories as well as the construction of an aircraft hangar big enough to house three large aircraft.

Prior to the Parliamentary approval of the loan agreements, then Minority Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu had slammed the deals as both questionable and non-transparent, adding that the contract sums had been padded by the government.

He famously tabled figures obtained from the internet to back his claims but was scorned for doing no more than relying on Google to come up with such serious claims of wrongdoing.

One of the C295s acquired under the deal supported United Nations-led missions in Mali. The rest were bought, as the Government explained at the time, to support strategic operations of the Ghana Air Force including surveillance of the country’s offshore oil production fields, border patrol, the training of pilots and internal transportation of troops.

In November 2014, then President John Mahama had announced that Ghana planned to acquire more Military equipment, including five Super Tucanos, Mi-17s and four Z-9s, for the Ghana Airforce.

At the time, Ghanaian troops were said to have relied heavily on civilian flights for their movements and needed military aircraft to correct this anomaly. Despite opposition criticisms, the government went ahead with the purchase agreements.

UK Court’s judgement

The recent judgement by England’s Crown Court in Southwark would appear to have now given a new life to earlier suspicions that the agreements covering the C295s especially were corrupt. The January 21, 2020 decision approved a Deferred Prosecution Agreement (DPA) between the Serious Fraud Office and Airbus SE, a subsidiary of Airbus, after investigations exposed massive bribery scandals involving the aircraft manufacturer in breach of the Bribery Act 2010.

English law allows the SFO to postpone prosecution of an organisation based on an agreement between the SFO and a company or companies suspected to have committed economic crimes.

Such an agreement – (DPA) – requires a seal of Judicial approval to become lawful and may even allow the offending institution to avoid prosecution entirely.

The court, in its decision on such applications, considers among other things, whether or not the DPA before it is in the public interest.

Also, the terms of the agreement must be fair, reasonable and proportionate.

In the present case, the court found that the DPA is in the public interest and that the terms agreed to meet the tests of fairness, reasonability and proportionality.

The court took the view that prosecuting Airbus now would among other things, lead to massive job losses and decimate the company’s performance on the stock market in the immediate to long term.

Independent estimates suggest Airbus could easily haemorrhage some £200 billion in the long term if it faced prosecution immediately.

The judgement stated that SFO investigations found that Airbus — which has since agreed to pay over £3 billion in fines — had engaged in schemes that involved bribing its way to lucrative contracts in countries such as Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Indonesia and Ghana.

French and US authorities have also found similar evidence of alleged bribery involving Airbus officials and or their agents in other countries, including Russia and China.

In the case of Ghana, the Judgement of the Crown Court highlights instances where Airbus officials, as part of a scheme to obtain and or maintain contracts with the government, either bribed or agreed to bribe intermediaries with close links to a high-ranking state official said to have influence over the country’s aircraft purchase plans between 2011 and 2015.

The court documents did not mention any names but the timeframe stated in the judgement covered some periods of the Mills-Mahama era.

The first agreement to pay bribes in Ghana involved some €5 million which was disguised as a Commission to an intermediary – “intermediary 5” – engaged by Airbus to promote its proposal to sell two C295 aircraft to Ghana.

Eventually, due process tests exposed the dubious arrangements and no money was paid.

Subsequent approaches by Airbus succeeded, resulting in Ghana buying 3 C259 aircraft through the multinational’s Spanish defence subsidiaries at separate times.

The deals were arranged through several intermediaries led by “intermediary 5”, said to be an unnamed relative of a powerful Ghanaian official who, at the relevant time, was in a decision-making position over the proposed aircraft purchase agreements.

However, after an internal investigation exposed the link between intermediary 5 and the unnamed high-ranking government of Ghana official, a scheme was then hatched by the parties to route the transaction through a third party company of Spanish origin, which company had no previous dealings with Ghana.

The Spanish company was passed off as the facilitator of the proposed aircraft purchase agreements when in fact it was merely inserted into the arrangements to circumvent due diligence requirements in order to give the questionable transaction a clean bill of health. Upon conclusion of the deal with Ghana, under which two aircraft were initially sold, Airbus or its agents relied on false representations and documentation to pay bribe amounts close to €4 million to the Spanish third party company which in turn funnelled the payments to intermediary 5.

The payments were disguised as commission on the contract amount. The Spanish third party company pulled out of a subsequent deal that handed Ghana her third C259 aircraft. This was after Airbus had engaged an external counsel to conduct due diligence on it. Intermediary 5’s subsequent claim that Airbus owed him some €1.6 million under the deal covering the third C295 was not honoured.

 

Source: tntnewspapergh.com

The leading telecommunication network in the country,MTN Ghana,has held a colorful ceremony to launch a month-long activities to mark 15 years of Mobile Money (MOMO) in Ghana.

The highly attended event which attracted market queens, partner banks, mobile mobile merchants,MOMO agents among other stakeholders was held on Wednesday,7th August,2024 at Dufie Car Park near Kessben FM ,Adum Kumasi.

The theme for this year’s celebration is “Empowering Communities – Celebrating 15 years of Progressive Financial & Digital Inclusion,”

A scene of cake cutting at the event .

Representatives of various stakeholders, one after the other publicly heap praised on MTN Ghana for the introduction of MOMO,which has massively reduced stress in financial transaction.

In a statement to launch the month long celebration,Mr.Nii Adotey Mingle, Northern Sector General Manager of the Company, said this year’s theme encapsulates the essence of what MoMo represents and the impact it has had on the lives of many.

According to him,MoMo was born out of a vision to democratize access to financial services.

” From its inception, our goal was clear: to leverage the power of technology to create a more inclusive financial ecosystem. It started as a simple yet powerful concept – enabling people to send and receive money using their mobile phones”,he explained.

He said over the years, the concept has evolved, and MoMo has become an indispensable part of everyday life for millions of Ghanaians – indeed “we are touching every Ghanaian household everyday!

The General Manager revealed that, Ghana is one of the fastest growing markets in Africa for digital payments.

Market queens celebrating MOMO @15

According to Mr.Mingle, this growth has been influenced by the growing adoption of e-commerce and mobile payments by many due to the convenience and safety of the service.
.He explained that, currently MoMo is not just about sending money and making payments. The service has expanded into other critical aspects of our daily financial needs such as offering loans, insurance, international remittance, investments and many more.

MTB officials posed for group photograph

Mr.Nii Adotey Mingle,said MoMo is more than just a mobile money service. It is a platform that has empowered individuals, transformed businesses, and strengthened communities.
Adding that, they have witnessed how MoMo has enabled small and medium-sized enterprises to thrive, by providing them with the tools they need to manage their finances more efficiently.

Mr.Adotey Mingle speaking to the media, after the official launching.

” We have seen how it has facilitated access to education, healthcare, and essential services, improving the quality of life for countless families. Also, access to government services has been simplified through the ubiquitous power of your MoMo enabling government agencies to collect taxes, levies and fees seamlessly. Clearly, MoMo has bridged the gap between the banked and the unbanked, bringing financial inclusion to the forefront of our nation’s development agenda.
Recognizing Strategic”.

He admitted that, despite the successes chalked over the last 15 years, there are still some challenges they face, and it is important for them to look at how they can collectively address these issues and continue to drive financial, digital and economic inclusion in Ghana.
On Coverage Gaps,he said though mobile connectivity continues to improve, there are still some coverage gaps, especially in rural and remote areas.
He, therefore,gave assurance that “we(MTN) will continue to invest in digital infrastructure to promote widespread connectivity in order to expand the frontiers of digital financial inclusion.

Touching on Fraud and Cybersecurity Risks,Mr.Mingle said fraud remains one of the prevalent issues that continues to hinder their work of promoting digital and financial inclusion in the country.

“MoMo fraud is an issue we are very passionate about at MobileMoney LTD and we will continue to work with all stakeholders through sensitization and awareness initiatives and will continue to invest in robust security measures to combat it and protect our valued customers.
Let me use this platform to emphasize that every customer is the first and last line of defense. We need to protect our PINs and avoid clicking on unsolicited links, responding to fake SMS messages, or following the instructions of any random caller.

He pointed out that, MTN remains committed to providing great customer experience to all their customers regardless of their location. Adding that their primary focus is to put service support at the fingertips of their customers to minimize the need for customers to travel long distances or wait for an extended period at their touch points to have an issue resolved.

Below are activities line up as part of MoMo@15 celebration,
Market launch – happening in Accra Kumasi and Takoradi today. They will be in Ho and Tamale on Thursday, August 8, 2024
Float activities through key streets across Ghana
New Service Launch – Exciting new products – Loan products, New MyMoMo App
Customer promotion – watch out for exciting giveawaysMoMo Fraud campaign,Skills training for SMEs,
Awards night to reward various stakeholders for their performance over the period.

Source: tntnewspapergh.com

Accra, August 6th 2024 – MTN Ghana has received the overall Project Management (PM) Excellence Project of the Year Award at the prestigious 2024 Project Management Excellence Awards, held at Rock City in the Eastern Region. MTN Ghana took home an impressive number of awards as follows:

• Project Management (PM) Excellence Project of the Year
• IT Project of the Year
• Telecom Project of the Year
• Project Manager of the Year
• Project Management Office (PMO) of the Year: 1st Runner-Up

In all, MTN Ghana received five awards at the event. The awards were in recognition of MTN’s excellence in its project execution.

The Charging System Modernization Project won MTN the PM Excellence Project of the Year and IT Project of the Year Awards. This project revolutionized MTN’s billing and customer management systems, upgrading its infrastructure to a cutting-edge, scalable, and reliable platform. The modernization enabled MTN to enhance customer support, introduce new services and promotions, and significantly improve the overall user experience

MTN Ghana’s Josephine Jacaboba Amoah, Project Coordinator for Managed Data Network Service, won the Project Manager of the Year for her exceptional leadership in supporting the transitioning of Bayobab’s (formerly Global Connect) Global Network Operation Center (GNOC) Transition and Service Operation Center (SOC) from India to Ghana. This project also earned MTN Ghana the Telecom Project of the Year award.

Additionally, MTN Ghana was honoured as the 1st runner-up for Project Management Office of the Year, for demonstrating its superior organizational project management capabilities and value-added support for strategic initiatives.

Mr. William Tetteh, the Chief Capital Projects Officer, expressed his gratitude to the organizers of the event and highlighted MTN’s 18-year commitment to project management excellence. He emphasized the importance of project managers empowering their teams to achieve success.

The CEO of MTN Ghana, Mr. Stephen Blewett, congratulated William and the Capital Projects team on their well-deserved awards, acknowledging their tireless efforts in delivering impactful projects.

The Project Management Excellence Awards celebrate the contributions of exceptional project leaders across the country.

Media Contacts:
Adwoa Wiafe
Chief Corporate Services and Sustainability Officer

Efua Falconer
Acting Corporate Communications Senior Manager

 

MTN Ghana has reiterated its commitment to Girls In ICT. Adwoa Wiafe, Chief Corporate Services and Sustainability Officer for MTN Ghana, made this known at the climax of this year’s Girls in ICT program organized by the Ministry of Communication and Digitalization at the University of Ghana.

Ms. Adwoa Wiafe indicated that MTN Ghana has partnered with the Ministry in this initiative because it aligns with the company’s strategic objectives.

She said, “We are here to support the Ministry and the program, because it is something that is dear to MTN and these are issues we champion daily. We will continue supporting this program as long as we can.”

“We believe that everyone deserves the benefits of a modern connected life, so connectivity and inclusion are matters that we support. This program is aligned with our belief because of its focus on educating girls in ICT across the country.” she added.

The Girls in ICT program is an initiative that equips girls in basic schools with knowledge in coding, website design, game development and animation development.

MTN has been supporting the initiative since 2021 and has invested over GHS15.6 million in the program.

Through its investments, MTN has contributed to the training of nine thousand girls and nine hundred teachers in basic ICT skills such as coding, website design, game development, and animation development.

Adwoa Wiafe also urged the girls to take the training seriously and capitalize on the opportunity given to them through the initiative.

Hon. Ursula Owusu-Ekuful Minister for Communications and Digitalization, commended MTN Ghana and all other partners for their support over the years. She appealed to MTN Ghana, current and potential partners to come on board to support the “Girls in ICT initiative”.

Attendees at the event included the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Mr. Titus Glover, the Deputy Minister for Communications and Digitalization, Hon. Charles Acheampong, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana,

Nana Aba Appiah Amfo, Chief of the Abola Traditional Area, Nii Ahene Nunoo III, and other dignitaries. The event featured a range of activities, including an award ceremony to honour the top one hundred girls who excelled in the competition.

Teachers and other outstanding individuals also received awards. The awards included laptops, certificates, cash prizes and plaques. In addition, the schools of the top three girls were provided with fully equipped ICT laboratories.

Media Contact:

Media Contacts:
Adwoa Afriyie Wiafe
Chief Corporate Services and Sustainability Officer

Georgina Asare Fiagbenu
Senior Manager Corporate Communications
Email: MTNGhana.MediaOffice@mtn.com

Accra, July 26, 2024 –

MTN Ghana today announced that it has completed 80% of its planned network upgrade across the country, which commenced in June 2024 and expected to end in August 2024. The upgrade involves the replacement of existing mobile network infrastructure with more efficient and environmentally friendly equipment.

The Chief Technical Officer (CTO) of MTN Ghana, Thomas Motlepa, indicated the commitment of the business to delivering unparalleled network service for customers. He said, “Our customers remain at the core of our business. This upgrade will ensure that we have a more reliable and robust networkand help to achieve network virtualization and increased capacity for optimum service delivery.”

In expressing his gratitude to stakeholders and customers, Mr. Motlepa noted “We are thankful to our valued customers and stakeholders for their patience and support during the period especially as we experienced some intermittent network disruptions.”

The modernization of the network is expected to be completed by the end of August 2024. Customers who experience any disruption to any service can call MTN toll free number 100 or reach out via any of MTN’s social media handles.

MTN is on track to invest $1 billion in its network by 2025 as promised.
The company continues to expand its coverage, improve customer data experience, and promote sustainable practices.
End.
Media Contacts:
Adwoa Wiafe
Chief Corporate Services and Sustainability Officer
Georgina Asare Fiagbenu
Corporate Communications Senior Manager
Email: MTNGhana.MediaOffic