Minorities question the price of night vision goggles, other gadgets for the armed forces



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General News of Saturday, August 3, 2019

Source: citinewsroom.com

2019-08-03

Ghana Armed Forces9Photo file

The approval of an $ 11 million loan facility for the supply of binoculars, monoculars and night vision training equipment to Ghana's armed forces was controversial in Parliament on Friday.

According to the report of the Finance Committee, a pair of night vision goggles are purchased at a price of $ 6,850, the daily range of a rifle at $ 2,150, the cost of transporting this equipment in Ghana is set at 55,000 dollars.

Prior to the approval, the minority had triggered alarms regarding the cost of components and the lack of audit audit of the resource optimization.

Member of the Committee on Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, Inusah Fuseini's complaint is the cost of equipment.

"It is important to clarify that this loan and its application are accompanied by no report on the optimization of resources. We are entitled to ensure that the loan, if it is used to purchase night vision equipment, will ensure the overall value of Ghana's economy. And how do we do that? We must know the standard of night vision equipment purchased. We need to know the specifications. If we know it, we can also do our own research to find out if such specifications will cost the amount that we are told it will cost. "

"We are told that we need Western standard equipment. Which model? Do we buy it from the Netherlands, United Kingdom, United States or Germany? Because if we know it, I can badure you that by 15 minutes, we should be able to know the price range … so that we can make sure, to ourselves and to the people of Ghana, that we are going to pledge $ 11,040,425 and that this House approves it and we badure the people of Ghana that it will be applied for good purposes. "

Minister of Defense justifies spending

But Defense Minister Dominic Nitiwul justified the agreement by saying that such equipment must meet the standards of the armed forces.

"I said we wanted to buy standard equipment, in fact the standard of NATO. It is not from the west nor from the east, but from the norm. "

Parliament on vacation

On Friday, Parliament closed the second session of its third session.

The bill on changes to the tax on the communication service, the bill on the reserved funds, the ceilings and the realignment, the bill repealing the tax on luxury vehicles and a consortium loan of cocoa $ 1.5 billion, among others, were all approved before the adjournment.

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