Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor and Frank Annoh Dompreh
The about 300 people making the list of attendees of the 26th session of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) Glasgow, Scotland, has provoked fresh fight between the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP).
The NDC started the whole smear campaign over the weekend, aimed at causing disaffection for the government over the tall list.
They tried to claim that all those that attended the COP26 were sponsored by the government, and sought to paint President Akufo-Addo and his administration as insensitive.
They produced a tall list which they claimed were those who were sponsored at the expense of the taxpayer.
President Akufo-Addo led Ghana’s delegation to the COP26 Summit, which is considered as one of the largest gatherings where world leaders try to accelerate action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.
Interestingly, a cursory look at the list showed that apart from the 23 people including specific Ministers of State that accompanied the President to Glasgow, many state agencies and even private companies and NGOs, sponsored their own staff to the summit and may not have been directly funded by the presidency as claimed.
A list containing 337 names, titled: “Provisional List of Registered Participants,” emerged at the weekend on social media with suggestions that it has been heavily populated with people who have nothing to do with the issue of climate change, and claimed the government sponsored all of them at the expense of the tax payer.
Apart from Ministers of State, the list included Members of Parliament from both the NDC and NPP, media personnel from both public and private sectors, state institutions, interest groups, private firms who are into sanitation, among others.
Executive Director of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Dr. Henry Kwabena Kokofu who is currently in Glasgow attending the summit debunked claims by the NDC that the government sponsored many people to Scotland.
He said as far as he is concerned, the total number of names from Ghana was 170, and the government sponsored only 24 people including the President.
He insisted that the claim being made by the NDC is only intended to put the government in bad light, saying “some of them did not get their visas. Others registered just to participate virtually, and some others couldn’t make it.”
“By the count of the day we had about 170 people as participants,” he indicated on Asaase Radio and explained that some of the delegates were coming from civil society organisations, academia and the private sector.
According to the EPA boss, the 337 figure being used by the NDC as Ghana’s delegation was purely a misinformation since many of them were either constrained or decided to stay in Ghana and participate virtually.
“And of the 170 that registered, it is on and off, people will come in for particular side events or workshops or engage in some negotiations and leave,” Dr. Kokofu said, adding “of the official 24 that are participating, we had some who did out of the week, because their schedules were the first week, they have left or they are leaving, and those who will come in the second week are being welcomed, so as we speak today out of the 170, 40 have left for Ghana already.”
Smear Campaign
Before the explanation by the EPA boss, the NDC MP for South Dayi, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, had questioned the list on social media, saying, “The news is that this Government actually paid for and sent as many as 337 officials to the ongoing Climate Change Summit in Glasgow.”
He continued, “The conference will last for two weeks and ends on the 12th November. Is the delegation too large? Let’s hear from you.”
But in a sharp response, Majority Chief Whip and NPP MP for Nsawam-Adoagyiri, Frank Annoh-Dompreh, dismissed the NDC-propelled claims that the Akufo-Addo government sent a delegation of 337 people to the ongoing COP26 Summit in Glasgow.
According to him, Mr. Dafeamekpor got it all wrong when he sought to indicate that the government footed the bill for travel for all the delegates.
“Hon. I suggest you check your facts; I am aware of civil societies, interest groups and other agencies that attended not on the account of the central government. Your post is misleading and mischievous, my brother,” Mr. Annoh-Dompreh replied.
The South Dayi MP came back to say criticism against the list was central to the role played by the individuals presented as delegates, stating, “Bro, I checked the list. It’s like a Who-is-Who of Public Servants in this Country.”
“Obviously, the criticism is not against Government participation but lots of the participants have no business attending bro. For instance, why the tall list of presidential staffers?” he quizzed.
By Ernest Kofi Adu