A former Board Member of the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund (GIIF), Yaw Odame-Darkwa, has clarified that the much-discussed Sky Train project was never approved or even formally considered by the Fund’s Board during his tenure.
According to Mr. Odame-Darkwa, the Sky Train concept was only introduced at one of the Board meetings, but no substantive proposal was ever presented for deliberation or decision-making.
He further explained that the Investment Committee of GIIF — the body responsible for evaluating and recommending projects for Board approval — did not recommend the Sky Train initiative for any form of funding or endorsement.
Mr. Odame-Darkwa also emphasized that during his period of service, the GIIF Board did not approve any funding for the Sky Train project, contrary to public speculation suggesting the Fund had committed resources to it.
Mr. Odame-Darkwa made these statements while being led in evidence by Dr. Justice Srem-Sai, Deputy Attorney-General (DAG), as the first Prosecution Witness (PW1) at the High Court presided over by Justice Audrey Kocuvie-Tay on Monday.
During proceedings, the second accused (A2), Professor Christopher Ameyaw-Akumfi, introduced a new lawyer, Yaw Acheampong Aboadi, to represent him in the ongoing case.
The following is Mr. Odame-Darkwa’s evidence-in-chief and subsequent cross-examination by Dominic Kwadwo Brenya-Otchere, counsel for the first accused Solomon Asamoah.
Evidence-in-chief
1.My name is Yaw Odame Darkwa.
2.I am a native of Wenchi,Bono and I reside in Tema,and I am a businessman.
3.I served as a member of the Board of the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund (GIIF) from 2017 to 2020.
4.I became aware of the payment of Two Million United States Dollars (US$2,000,000) only through the Auditor-General’s report.
5.In accordance with proper procedure,a due diligence report should have been presented to the Board prior to any approval for disbursement.
6.I have recently been made aware of certain minutes from GIIF Board meetings referencing the Sky Train project.
7.The minutes referred to as evidence of the meeting do not accurately reflect the Board’s deliberations or decisions concerning the Sky Train project at any time
8.I have always acted in the best interest of the Republic of Ghana and would not have granted approval for any disbursement without proper due diligence.
9.The minutes of previous GIIF project meetings in which I participated will demonstrate that I consistently acted in good faith,in accordance with due process,and in the national interest.
10.During my tenure,the Board approved funding for several infrastructure projects.
11.I wish to state that the Sky Train concept was only introduced at one of our Board meetings.
12.The Board did not receive any substantive proposal on Sky Train project and hence we did not deliberate or take any decision on the project.
13.Additionally,the Investment Committee did not recommend the Sky Project to the Board for approval.
14.To the best of my knowledge,the Sky Train project has not been tabled for consideration at any Board Meeting.
15.To the best of my recollection,the Board did not approve any funding for the Sky Train project during the period of my service.
16.To be specific,there was no proposal discussed at any meeting I attended regarding the disbursement of funds to the project.
Cross examination by counsel for A1
Q. You are very keen particular about your name, is that not so?
A. Yes
Q. And you read your witness statement before appending your signature, is that not so?
A. Yes
Q. Check the witness statement.. the first paragraph is that how you write your name?
A. No. The dash is missing.
Q. Yet you overlooked and signed, is that not so?
A. Yes.
Q. Is it the case that you don’t read documents presented to you diligently before signing?
A. No
Q. What is your highest academic qualification?
A. Bachelors in law and sociology from the KNUST.
Q. Before you joined GIIF board, did you have any experience serving on any board?
A. Yes.
Q. Did you familiarise yourself with the mandate of GIIF as a board member?
A. Yes.
Q. Give the court any two mandates of GIIF you know?
A. One of them is to invest in strategic infrastructure building and the second is to invest all the excess funds to generate more revenues for the Fund.
Q. What are some of these of strategic infrastructure projects which GIIF invested in during your time as a board member?
A. We did a Maaha Beach Resort, a hotel at Cape 3 Point where Ghana Gas is. We did the western corridor fibre optic project, the Atlantic terminal, Takoradi. We also did the terminal 3 project at the KIA. These are the ones that I can remember off head.
Q. As a board member between 2017 and 2025, January, you attended most of the board meetings, if not all. Is that not so?
A. Yes.
Q. In fact you also served on board sub committees?
A. Yes.
Q. How many of the sub committees did you serve on?
A. Two.
Q. You were the Chair of the Audit Sub Committee. Is that correct?
A. Yes.
Q. You attended or participated in several training sessions for board members, is that correct?
A. Yes.
Q. Those training sessions that you attended were not for free, is that not so?
A. They were not for free.
Q. The payments were made by GIIF, is that correct?
A. Yes.
Case adjourned to November 12 at 10am.
