A group of independent-minded Ghanaian journalists calling themselves Watchdog Journalists have issued a statement that has put Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia to answer critical questions to the ongoing clandestine attempt by Senior Minister Yaw Osafo-Marfo to wrest Ghana’s port management services from the existing company.
The Senior Minister on February 26, 2020, secretly ordered Ghanaian freight forwarders to ditch the existing port management and revenue tracking company Ghana Community Network Services Limited (GCNet) and West Blue (Customs World). He virtually handpicked a company without the requisite track record to take over the multi-million-dollar service.
The Senior Minister who is possibly being supported by a section of the Akufo Addo government is virtually wresting the GCNET system from its owners and handing it over to a questionable system from Korea called Universal Pass (UNI-PASS).
Watchdog Journalists are the latest group to raise red flags about the questionable move by Mr. Osafo Marfo.
Since the Vice President is the head of the Economic Management Team (, the group issued a nine-point query for him to answer. For instance, the group wants the Vice President to show evidence that the UNIPASS system has any record that it had been successfully deployed in any African country.
The Watchdog Journalists group askes: “Where are the stress and pilot reports of UNIPASS simulation tests in Ghana? The Promoters of UNIPASS claim it is a ‘superior end to end’ system better than those of the current vendors; has it been demonstrated to the EMT, Cabinet, Customs Division of CEPS or any other relevant stakeholder?”
Apparently, a report has been submitted to the Presidency outlining the dangers the UNIPASS system poses to revenue mobilisation ability of Ghana at the ports if rolled out. The group want to know the outcome of this report.
UNIPASS’ Ghanaian partner is called Ghana Link Network Limited and it is owned by one Nick Danso Adjei who is believed to be particularly close to the Jubilee House bigwigs and the Senior Minister, in what critics think is a possible kickback-ridden adventure.
UNPASS has consistently failed to demonstrate that it possesses a more superior system than GCNET. Indeed, a demonstration scheduled with Vice President Bawumia about two weeks ago was reportedly cancelled by Mr. Osafo Marfo. That demonstration was ordered by the Vice President After UNIPASS had on February 21, 2020, failed to satisfactorily demonstrate its system at the Takoradi Port.
Meanwhile, UNIPASS is already in court with West Blue for reportedly plagiarising their system.
It is believed that if the Akufo Addo administration goes ahead to cancel the existing contracts of GCNET and West Blue, Ghana could be faced with a US$300 million judgment debt.
GCNET currently has a valid contract with Ghana till 2023, while West Blue’s contract ends by the close of this year. Critics have wondered why the government and its agents are in a rush to stop the GCNET system which had its own infrastructure that is depended on by several revenue agencies in Ghana, including the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA).