Anti-corruption campaigner, Edem Senanu has slammed the proposed procurement of 15 iPad keyboards by Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) at a staggering cost of GHC4,500 per keyboard unit.
Edem Senanun from the Citizens Movement Against Corruption described the request as “an attempted procurement fraud” in an interview on the Happy Morning Show with host Sefah Danquah.
“I’m so shocked and I mean at this time, we should be in austerity budget, where we can’t even apparently find enough cocoa in Ghana, the board is focusing on paper – that they don’t want to do more paperwork because there’s not enough paper so they would have to buy iPad keyboards,” he stated.
He argued that the invoiced amounts are “inflated way above market” rates. Senanu questioned the necessity of such an extravagant purchase amid Ghana’s economic challenges.
“I’m expecting that every single government entity would be sitting up. Let’s all tighten our belts and not spend money we don’t have on things that are unnecessary. It’s shocking,” he stressed.
The controversy stems from a leaked memo proposing the purchase of the keyboards, which has been met with ridicule on social media. Many Ghanaians have questioned why a single keyboard would cost so much and lamented the state of Ghana’s finances.
COCOBOD has since clarified that the request is only a proposal and has not been approved. They claim the intention was to reduce reliance on paper and stationery while improving productivity among board members.