During her vetting on Monday, February 15, 2021, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful told the Appointments Committee of Parliament the COVID-19 tracker app did not cost the Government of Ghana a pesewa. The report dubbed ‘Strengthening COVID-19 Accountability Mechanisms (SCAM)’ and available to GhanaWeb reveals that the COVID-19 tracker app was awarded to two foreign companies at a cost of $1 million but did not go through tender. “Part of the above funding was used by the Ministry of Communications to develop a COVID-19 Tracker app to gather data on surveillance and contact tracing. It was alleged that GoG spent about $1m to develop the app and a further GH¢1.4m ($240,000) for its launch. Ascend Digital Solutions Ltd was incorporated on 9 March 2020 and owned by 28-year Ian Austin, and incorporated in Jersey, a tax haven.

Source: GhanaWeb May 12, 2021 05:48 UTC