Heated Exchanges Mark PAC Sitting as Sam George Defends Telecom Sector Challenges
Proceedings at Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Monday turned tense after Minister for Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations, Samuel Nartey George, clashed verbally with committee members during discussions on challenges within Ghana’s telecommunications sector.
The minister appeared before the committee to respond to concerns surrounding poor quality of service by mobile network operators and issues relating to governance and expenditure within the communications sector.
- During the hearing, Sam George attributed many of the current challenges in the telecommunications industry to what he described as policy and leadership failures under the previous administration. His comments, however, triggered objections from the Chairperson of the PAC, Abena Osei-Asare, who cautioned him against making remarks she considered offensive and politically charged during the proceedings.
The exchange quickly became heated after the minister appealed to the committee’s Ranking Member and acting presiding officer, Samuel Atta Mills, to call the chairperson to order following interruptions during his presentation.
Despite the sharp exchanges, Sam George later downplayed suggestions of hostility between himself and the PAC Chairperson, insisting that the disagreements were part of normal parliamentary scrutiny.
Speaking to journalists after the sitting, the minister said he holds no personal grudges against Abena Osei-Asare and described her as a friend despite the public confrontation.
“Abena is a friend, maybe that is why our exchanges were heated,” he stated, adding that their friendship would not prevent either side from performing their constitutional duties effectively.
Sam George also suggested that some members of the committee were giving him the same intense scrutiny he previously subjected ministers of the former New Patriotic Party administration to when he served as a member of the PAC.
“I know my colleagues are returning the favour for what I did for New Patriotic Party ministers when I was a member of PAC,” he remarked after the hearing.
The Public Accounts Committee is one of Parliament’s most powerful oversight bodies mandated to examine reports from the Auditor-General and investigate irregularities in the use of public funds by ministries, departments, and state institutions. The committee regularly summons public officials to answer questions on financial management and administrative decisions.
The latest sitting forms part of ongoing parliamentary oversight hearings involving several ministries and state agencies over audit findings and sector-related concerns.
Observers say the heated nature of the exchanges reflects growing pressure on government institutions to improve accountability, transparency, and service delivery, particularly in sectors that directly affect millions of Ghanaians such as telecommunications and digital services.
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