President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has ordered an immediate audit of the Strategic Mobilisation Limited (SML) and Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) five-year consolidated contract. The GRA contracted SML in 2019 to undertake revenue assurances services. The agreement between the two entities was to boost revenue assurances in the downstream petroleum sector, upstream petroleum production, and the value chain for minerals and metals resources. However, various organisations, including Ghana's legislature, have since questioned the deal, claiming that it was riddled with flaws in its execution. A statement issued by the Director of Communications at the Presidency on Tuesday, said the President had appointed KPMG, the reputable Audit, Tax and Advisory Services firm, to undertake the audit. This was to ensure transparency and accountability in the execution of the contractual arrangement. The statement said the audit would ascertain the rationale or needs assessment performed prior to the contract approval by GRA and assess how the arrangement aligned with specific needs. It would also assess the appropriateness of the contracting methodology, verifying compliance with legal standards and industry best practices in the procurement process for the selection of SML. The audit would evaluate the degree of alignment between current activities and the stipulated contract scope and identify any deviations. It would evaluate the value or benefit that SML has so far offered to the GRA through the engagement; and review the financial arrangements, including pricing structures, payment terms and resolution of any financial compliance issues. The President has given the audit firm two weeks to submit a report on its findings, along with suitable recommendations, and has directed the Ministry of Finance and the GRA to provide KPMG with all help needed to undertake the audit. He has also directed the Ministry of Finance and the Ghana Revenue Authority to suspend the performance of the contract, pending the submission o f the audit report, including any payments presently envisaged under its terms. Source: Ghana News Agency OSHAKATI: The Inspector-General of the Namibian Police Force (NamPol), Lieutenant General Joseph Shikongo, has said his goal is for the Oshana Region to be a crime-free region with no open investigations. Shikongo said this whilst addressing members of the community at Oshakati on Wednesday. The inspector-general is in the region on a working visit from Wednesday to Friday, during which he will engage members of the community and the business community, as well as NamPol staff. Shikongo said peace must be preserved at all costs, therefore in addition to protecting both domestic residents and foreign visitors, officers should ensure that there is no crime and that the region is safe. 'If the community is not doing anything to fight crime, it becomes difficult for the police to do so. Let us join hands and work together to combat crime in unity,' he said. Oshana Regional Commander Naftal Lungameni Sakaria indicated that if the vision of a crime-free region is to be realised, efforts by all stakeholders to combat crime should be combined. According to Sakaria, the police made a significant dent in crime in the region through their 'boots on the ground' initiative. He said robberies after people withdraw money from commercial banks have for instance become a thing of the past, while housebreaking incidents have also decreased. 'Despite our success, we still have challenges of mobility. The procurement process also takes forever and we have a lack of manpower as many police officers are aging,' he said. He added that they are also challenged by a lack of police facilities in the region, which leads to congestion at the available police stations. Another issue is that police cells are overcrowded. Source: The Namibia Press Agency