–By Daniel Bampoe
The Importers and Exporters Association of Ghana (IEAG) has issued a strong appeal to President John Dramani Mahama to immediately terminate the remaining contract between Strategic Mobilisation Limited (SML) and the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), amid revelations that the company is still receiving $1.4 million monthly despite public backlash and a previous directive for contract cancellation.
Speaking at a press briefing in Accra, IEAG Executive Secretary Samson Asaki Awingobit described the ongoing payments to SML as a “wasteful drain” on national resources and a glaring case of contract duplication.
He said the situation undermines the credibility of the government’s commitment to transparency and prudent financial management.
SML’s involvement with the GRA became a subject of national debate in 2023 following an investigative report by The Fourth Estate.
The exposé revealed that SML had been awarded multi-million-dollar contracts without parliamentary oversight or competitive procurement, raising red flags about legality, redundancy, and value for money.
The report also highlighted overlaps between SML’s work and the functions already being performed by regulatory agencies such as the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), particularly in monitoring and auditing downstream petroleum activities.
In response to mounting criticism, then-President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in April 2024 ordered the termination of the upstream component of SML’s contract.
The National Intelligence Bureau, NIB is investigating the SML deal with key actors, including previous GRA bosses already invited for interrogation.
However, Awingobit says the company continues to benefit from the downstream contract—raking in over $1.4 million every month from state coffers.
“We are appealing directly to President Mahama to honour the promise he made while in opposition—to cancel this contract once elected,” Awingobit stated.
“Four months into his administration, Ghanaians are still watching SML pocket public funds for services that are either duplicated or unverifiable.”
He argued that the funds being paid to SML could be redirected to more impactful national programs like the MahamaCares initiative.
“How can NPA be paying for the same services that SML is rendering for GRA? It’s not just duplication; it’s a financial insult to the taxpayer,” he added.
Further Demands
Beyond contract termination, the IEAG is calling for a full government audit of all payments made to SML and a recovery of any sums deemed unjustified.
Awingobit also demanded that the Ministry of Finance and the NPA blacklist SML from all future government procurement processes.
In a wider appeal, he called on civil society organizations, the diplomatic community, and the media to help prevent the situation from becoming “a betrayal of the people’s trust.”
Although President Mahama has acknowledged ongoing investigations into the SML contract during his 120-day address, no clear directive has yet been issued on the contract’s future.
