GIIF never approved $2m Sky Train funding — Former Board Member testifies

A former board member of the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund (GIIF), Yaw Odame Darkwah, has told a High Court in Accra that the board never sanctioned any funding for the controversial $2 million Accra Sky Train project, which failed to materialise.

Mr Darkwah was testifying on Monday, 10 November, as the first prosecution witness in the ongoing trial of former GIIF Chief Executive Officer, Solomon Asamoah, and former Board Chair, Prof. Christopher Ameyaw-Akumfi. The two are facing six counts of willfully causing financial loss to the state, to which they have both pleaded not guilty.

According to Mr Darkwah, while the Sky Train project was mentioned in passing at one of the board’s meetings, no formal proposal was ever presented for consideration, and the board therefore never deliberated on or approved any funding for it.

He also questioned the accuracy of minutes cited in the case, saying they did not reflect the board’s actual discussions or decisions regarding the project.

Mr Darkwah stressed that he had always acted “in the best interest of the Republic of Ghana” and would never have endorsed any financial release without proper vetting.

He recalled that during his tenure, the GIIF board approved investments in several major projects — including Terminal 3 at Kotoka International Airport and the Maaha Beach Resort — but insisted that the Sky Train project was never one of them.

Mr Darkwah’s witness statement was tendered into evidence before the defence lawyers began cross-examining him.

The court, presided over by Justice Lydia Osei Marfo, subsequently adjourned proceedings to Wednesday, 12 November, for continuation of the trial.

The $2 million Sky Train project has long been a symbol of stalled infrastructure ambitions — a venture that promised to transform urban transport in Accra but instead became mired in controversy over alleged irregular payments and lack of feasibility.