There is growing apprehension in the Nzema East Municipality as a five-member committee concludes its investigation into the alleged misappropriation of a GH₵2 million donation made by the Ghana National Gas Company Limited (GNGCL) to the Nzema East Municipal Assembly (NEMA).
Investigations by this reporter indicate that the amount, part of Ghana Gas’s corporate social responsibility package, was credited to the Assembly’s account on February 11, 2025.
At the time, the then Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Mr Eric Essien, had already handed over office to the Municipal Coordinating Director, who was acting as MCE.
However, questions have emerged over how the funds were used. The money, which was reportedly meant to support specific infrastructural projects in the municipality, is said to have been fully expended within two months without clear documentation or communication to the Assembly.
The alleged utilisation of the funds happened at the time the current MCE, Herbert Kuah Dickson, had not also assumed office.
Amid rising concerns, the Presiding Member (PM) of the Assembly, Mr Kassoum Braimah, has constituted a five-member investigative committee at the last General Meeting of the Assembly to investigate the issue.
Mr Kassoum Braimah, told The Chronicle via phone that the committee’s terms of reference are to establish; when the funds were received, what they were intended for, how they were spent, and whether there was any misappropriation.
The committee is chaired by Mr Daniel Manso, who also heads the Assembly’s Environmental Sub-Committee.
Explaining the circumstances that led to the formation of the committee, Mr. Kassoum Braimah said officials of Ghana Gas present during one of the Assembly meetings disclosed that GH₵2 million out of a GH₵3 million CSR allocation had already been transferred to the Assembly for development projects.
“The revelation shocked everyone. None of us was aware that such an amount had been received or spent by the Assembly. That is what prompted the immediate formation of the committee,” he told The Chronicle.
Mr Kassoum Braimah confirmed that key officials including the Municipal Coordinating Director, Municipal Finance Officer, Municipal Budget Officer, Internal Auditor and Procurement Officer have all appeared before the committee.
He added that both the former MCE, Mr. Eric Essien and the current MCE, Mr. Herbert Kuah Dickson, are also expected to appear before the committee before it finalises its report.
Meanwhile, in a telephone interview, the sitting MCE, Mr. Dickson Kuah, confirmed that he assumed office in April, by which time the funds had already been received and reportedly expended.
“I was unaware of the transaction until Ghana Gas officials mentioned it during the General Assembly meeting,” he said.
The committee is expected to present its final report at the next sitting of the Assembly.
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