Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh has accused his predecessor, Dr Bernard Okoe Boye, of authorising excess payments amounting to more than $10.6 million to the contractor behind the controversial Lightwave Health Information Management System (LHIMS) project.
Dr Okoe Boye has maintained that the payments were consistent with work progress, explaining that the additional $10 million was treated as an “advance certificate” under the contract terms.
But Mr Akandoh has rejected that justification, insisting that the LHIMS agreement contained no provision for pre-payment or advance disbursement.
According to the minister, the overpayment constitutes a clear financial irregularity, and the matter has been referred to the Attorney General for legal advice and possible prosecution.
Speaking on Citi FM’s Eyewitness News on Thursday, October 30, Mr Akandoh said the former minister’s own submissions confirmed that Lightwave had received payments far in excess of work completed.
“Okoe Boye has admitted per his writeups that Lightwave has been overpaid about $10.6 million,” he said. “This company was given this contract in 2019, so it is not true that the NDC signed this contract. This contract was signed by Hon. Agyeman Manu. So that is also a lie.”
Mr Akandoh further explained that by December 2024, ministry reconciliations showed that Lightwave had already received about $77 million — representing over 70 percent of the $100 million contract sum — despite delivering less than half of the expected health facility installations.
“This is not a pre-payment procedure,” he told the Public Accounts Committee (PAC). “You pay as and when you have executed the job. So, if you have paid more than the work you have done, you have been overpaid.”
The Minister reaffirmed the government’s resolve to pursue accountability in the LHIMS project, which has come under scrutiny for payment irregularities and the ongoing disruption of national health data systems.
Source:Lovinghananews.com
