The Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) has revealed that the Institute has accrued a total debt of GH¢1.7 million as a result of sponsoring five lecturers to pursue doctoral programs abroad who failed to fulfill their bond commitments.
The information was disclosed on Monday, January 12, during the Public Accounts Committee sitting.
GIMPA Registrar, Victoria Kumbuor, described the scope of the default and the steps being taken to retrieve the money.
According to GIMPA, Ann-Shirley Appiatse owes GH¢777,000, Julius Quarshie Azazu owes GH¢524,000, Dr Hanson Addy owes GH¢227,816.32, Afua Ataa Boakyewaa owes an outstanding amount of GH¢230,000, while Christiana Osei Bonsu has an outstanding amount of GHC38, 791.
Ms. Kumbuor said the Institution has taken action to compel the defaulters to recover the money, including withholding the entitlements of guarantors who supported the lecturers under the bond agreements.
“The indebtedness has to do with sponsorships that the Institute offered to some of our faculty lecturers to pursue PhD programme to come back to support the Institute’s operations.
“Now even though they signed the bond, some refused to return and so together with the Council a decision was made to freeze the entitlement. Basically, their provident fund and credit scheme entitlement and those of their guarantors and also pursue them to refund the money.
“We have been able to collect some of the money and we have engaged their various institutions where they are to see if they can compel them to come back. But the feedback is that this arrangement is a private arrangement with the individuals so their current employers abroad are unbale to send them to us,” he stated.
“Presently, we have two who have not paid anything and whom we are pursuing vigorously and two who have almost finished paying,” she added.
Ms. Kumbuor further noted that GIMPA has instituted measures to prevent future occurrences of bond default.
“For us at GIMPA, what we have decided to do is to encourage more local PhD sponsorship. So, you are here, you are going to school but you still sign the bond. It is easy for you to manage that kind of situation,” she stated.
She continued: “For those who have to go out because the programme is not found locally, we are working out a system where the bond is not based just on your colleagues who work there but we may have to rope in external persons and also you have to make some kind deposit before you go. But where you get your own sponsorship, the Institute is happy to grant you study leave without pay.”
