The Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL) has been embroiled in a controversy surrounding a revenue assurance and auditing contract awarded to Evatex Logistics Limited, a company with alleged ties to Strategic Mobilisation Limited (SML), the firm at the center of a grand corruption scandal.
A recent investigation by a media outlet uncovered that three days before the December 2024 election, the GACL awarded the revenue assurance and auditing contract to Evatex, a mining and stevedoring company with no prior experience in performing this service. The contract was allegedly backdated, with evidence suggesting it was signed after the New Patriotic Party lost the election in 2024.
The Managing Director of the Airports Company, Yvonne Nana Afriyie Opare, stated that the GACL awarded the contract to Evatex due to a lack of internal capacity, including personnel and time to deliver the service. However, documents obtained from the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) reveal that Evatex has only one worker, raising questions about the company’s ability to perform the contract.
A closer examination of the contract reveals that Evatex, which did not officially bid for the contract and did not appear before the GACL board for a presentation, was selected under suspicious circumstances. Investigations also showed that the email address on the website of Evatex is the same as the email address on the website of Evans Timbers Limited, the parent company of SML. Additionally, a search at the Office of the Registrar of Companies (ORC) revealed that SML and Evatex have the same beneficial owner, Evans Adusei, who is both the CEO of SML and Evatex.
The controversy surrounding the GACL’s contract with Evatex highlights the need for transparency and accountability in government contracting. It is unclear why the company was awarded the contract, given its lack of experience and resources. The incident also raises questions about the relationship between SML and the Ghana Airports Company.
