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A Ghanaian national has petitioned President John Dramani Mahama to motorboat an urgent probe into the procurement of 20 Soviet-era BTR-70 Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs) by the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF), present said to beryllium implicit 10 cardinal Euros.
The national describes the vehicles arsenic obsolete, unserviceable, and a information to troops deployed successful peacekeeping missions.
The petition, authored by Ola Durojaiye, besides known arsenic Kwame Danquah, outlines a litany of faults with the Soviet-era armoured vehicles, which were reportedly acquired from Azerbaijan done a section supplier, Double ST Limited.
Durojaiye alleges that the procurement process was riddled with “fraudulent practices,” “misrepresentation of information,” and a disregard for “troop information and welfare.”
“These vehicles were commissioned contempt being delivered successful an precocious authorities of deterioration and tear. They deficiency indispensable spare parts and came without their main armaments, rendering them efficaciously useless,” Durojaiye stated successful his petition.
He further claimed that the APCs, which were primitively built successful the precocious 1960s, person been retrofitted with diesel engines but without the captious enactment systems specified arsenic radiators and hoses. “The BTR-70s were not lone outdated but besides incomplete and defective. What was meant to beryllium a strategical acquisition has turned into a logistical and operational disaster,” helium noted.
According to the petitioner, 7 of the APCs were deployed to Abyei successful Sudan nether the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) mission, but arrived unserviceable. Due to their inability to function, they had to beryllium transported from Burma Camp to Tema Port connected low-bed trailers.
“Even aft dispatching a Forward Repair Team to effort repairs successful Sudan, lone 1 APC shows immoderate motion of constricted mobility, and adjacent that depends connected parts cannibalised from the others,” Mr Durojaiye revealed.
He described the vehicles arsenic “death traps,” citing leaking oil, malfunctioning brakes, absent connection systems, and non-bulletproof windscreens arsenic hazards to personnel. The lack of the modular 14.5mm KPVT dense instrumentality guns, which were lone delivered a twelvemonth aboriginal and stay untested, compounded the shortcomings.
In summation to operational concerns, Durojaiye raised superior ethical and accountability questions.
He accused the subject enactment of misrepresenting the vehicles’ twelvemonth of manufacture arsenic 2002 connected the measure of lading, adjacent though BTR-70 accumulation ceased successful 1984. “This points to a deliberate effort to defraud the authorities and mislead stakeholders,” helium alleged.
The petition besides referenced past operational difficulties with BTR-60 APCs during Ghana’s engagement successful the UN Mission successful Sierra Leone, arguing that past should person dissuaded subject authorities from acquiring akin vehicles.
Durojaiye called for a full-scale value-for-money audit of the procurement and stressed the request to prioritise soldiers’ information implicit what helium suggested whitethorn person been fiscal oregon governmental considerations.
Quoting the President’s ain caller remarks astatine the commissioning of Regular Career Course Intake 63 astatine the Ghana Military Academy, helium reminded the Commander-in-Chief that “officers indispensable prioritise the payment of their men.”
“If the shaper of the conveyance has agelong since retired it successful favour of newer, much businesslike versions, however tin the procurement of these outmoded and deteriorated ‘hulks of scrap metal’ beryllium justified?” helium questioned.
The full outgo of the 20 APCs was initially estimated astatine $8.8 million, with each portion reportedly purchased for $440,000. Durojaiye has pledged to supply further documentation and clarification if needed and has besides copied the petition to the Minister of Defence and the Acting Chief of Defence Staff.
Below is the petition
14th April 2025
His Excellency
The President of the Republic of Ghana
Jubilee House
ACCRA
PETITION FOR AN INVESTIGATION OF THE PURCHASE OF BTR 70 ARMOURED PERSONNEL CARRIERS BY THE GHANA ARMED FORCES
1. INTRODUCTION
I, Mr. Ola Durojaiye alias Kwame Danquah, a national of the Republic of Ghana, respectfully taxable this petition to your Excellency the President of the Republic of Ghana, seeking an audit of the acquisition of armoured unit carriers by the Ghana Armed Forces connected grounds of;
1. Lack of Value for Money
2. Failure to Meet Operational Requirements
3. Neglect of Troops’ Welfare
4. Compromising Troop Safety
5. Mismanagement of Leadership Responsibility
6. Misrepresentation of Information
7. Fraudulent Practices
2. BACKGROUND
i. The Ghana Army acquired twenty
(20) Bronetransportor (BTR-70)
Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs) for deployment successful bid enactment operations. These vehicles were supplied by Messrs. Double ST Limited, with their root traced to Azerbaijan, an Eurasian federation situated successful the South Caucasus portion and formerly portion of the Soviet Union.
ii. The BTR 70 APC was produced successful the erstwhile USSR successful the precocious 1960s. The BTR 70 was succeeded by the BTR 80 which came into work successful 1985 and was itself replaced concisely by the BTR 90. The BTR 82 and BTR 82A are the existent versions of the APC successful use.
3. INVESTIGATIONS CONDUCTED
i. The BTR-70 is simply a versatile eight-wheeled amphibious APC primitively equipped with 2 6-cylinder, 115 hp GAZ-69B petrol engines. Subsequent upgrades included AMA-49-05 V8 engines and, successful definite operational theatres, diesel engines. Although an betterment implicit its predecessor, the BTR-60, the BTR-70 retained respective notable limitations, specified arsenic restricted unit entree points and reliance connected dual petrol engines. By 2023, the BTR-70 had reached an operational property of 51 years, underscoring its outdated plan successful examination to much modern APCs.
ii. The BTR-70 APCs procured for the Ghana Army were retrofitted with diesel engines; however, the indispensable accompanying components, specified arsenic radiators and hoses, were omitted, rendering the vehicles inefficient and defective. Additionally, the vehicles were delivered successful precocious stages of deterioration and tear, highlighting their outdated condition.
iii. To salvage their appearance, unit from the Electrical and Mechanical Engineering (EME) Corps astatine the 153 Armoured Regiment parade quadrate undertook efforts to spray the exterior and reupholster the interiors. These measures were aimed astatine creating a semblance of presentability earlier the commissioning of the vehicles by the then-president, Nana Akufo-Addo. The attached images exemplify the authorities of the vehicles’ interiors anterior to the restoration efforts by the EME personnel.
iv. In summation to the aforementioned just deterioration and teardrop concerns, the BTR-70 APCs arrived without their modular main armaments—the 14.5mm KPVT dense instrumentality guns that are integral to the model’s design. However, the secondary armament, consisting of 7.62mm PKM co-axial instrumentality guns, was contiguous and underwent trial firing.
v. The main armaments were yet delivered successful 2024, yet they stay untested owed to the vehicles’ unserviceable condition, further compounding the operational challenges posed by this procurement.
vi. Contrary to modular champion practices, the BTR-70 APCs to the Ghana Army were successful mediocre authorities of repair and lacked indispensable spare parts, specialised tools, and attraction oregon repair equipment. Even basal components, specified arsenic spare tires, were missing.
vii. The BTR-70 APCs arrived with galore defects and operational challenges, immoderate of which are elaborate below:
1. Leakage of lipid and lubricants, causing motor overheating aft abbreviated periods of movement.
2. Malfunctioning brake and clutch systems.
3. Unserviceable rear camera monitors successful astir vehicles.
4. Absence of intra- and inter-vehicular connection devices, making connection wrong the vehicles, with different vehicles, oregon with the basal impossible.
5. Blurred imaginativeness blocks and broadside mirrors connected respective vehicles, impairing visibility.
viii. Though equipped with a movable metallic sheet that typically remains raised, the plastic, non-bulletproof windscreens of the BTR-70 APCs licence penetration by tiny arms fire, exposing the driver’s and commander’s compartments to important danger.
ix. Following their commissioning, 7 (7) of these APCs—described arsenic “death traps”—were shipped to Abyei, Sudan, for usage by the Ghanaian battalion serving nether the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA). Due to their unserviceability, the APCs were transported from Burma Camp to Tema Port utilizing lowbed trailers.
x. A guardant repair squad (FRT) was dispatched to Abyei successful an effort to reconstruct functionality to these APCs. Despite their efforts, the APCs remained mostly unserviceable, and the FRT has since returned to Ghana. Currently, lone 1 (1) of the 7 APCs exhibits minimal mobility. This lone functioning APC relies connected alternators salvaged from different non-operational vehicles, arsenic its alternator is dysfunctional.
xi. The FRT confirmed the Ghanaian battalion’s concerns regarding the vehicles’ utmost substance depletion and recurrent overheating aft the shortest of journeys, rendering them wholly unreliable for deployment. Since their accomplishment successful the country of operations (AO) connected 16 March 2024, during GHANBATT 2’s circuit of duty, the vehicles person not been deployed, arsenic they cannot beryllium started, overmuch little moved.
xii. This dismal situation, borne by nary responsibility of the troops representing Ghana, reflects a deficiency of the extortion and due instrumentality indispensable for executing their duties. It places these dedicated soldiers successful a precarious position, compromising their quality to service the federation with the information and ratio they deserve.
xiii. A precedent exists from the aboriginal 2000s, erstwhile troops of the Armoured Corps utilized BTR-60 armoured unit carriers (APCs) during operations successful the United Nations Mission successful Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL). These vehicles were marred by galore challenges. Was this anterior acquisition not capable informing to debar this marque of APC entirely? As the age-old adage goes, “experience is the champion teacher”—a information proven clip and clip again.
xv. The determination to procure outdated APCs undermines subject esprit de corps and goes against the rule of prioritising troops’ payment implicit officers’ comfortableness oregon idiosyncratic gain. This sentiment aligns with the caller remarks of His Excellency, the President of the Republic of Ghana and Commander-in-Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces. On 11 April 2025, during the commissioning of the Regular Career Course Intake 63 astatine the Ghana Military Academy, Teshie, Accra, the President emphasised the work of officers to prioritise their men’s comfortableness portion serving the nation.
xvi. The measure of lading for these APCs falsely states the twelvemonth of manufacture arsenic 2002—an evident enactment of deception and fraud. It is an established information that the accumulation of the BTR-70 ceased successful 1984 pursuing the instauration of its successor, the BTR-80. Unlike the BTR-70, which operates connected dual petrol engines unless retrofitted, the BTR-80 features a azygous diesel engine. Moreover, the BTR-80 has since undergone important upgrades, culminating successful the merchandise of the BTR-82 and its precocious variant, the BTR-82A.
xvii. If the shaper of the conveyance has agelong since retired it successful favour of newer, much businesslike versions, however tin the procurement of these outmoded and deteriorated “hulks of scrap metal” beryllium justified?
xvii. According to the disposable documentation (copies attached), each of these BTR-70 armoured unit carriers was procured astatine a outgo of astir $440,000.00, amounting to a full expenditure of $8.8 cardinal ($8,800,000).
4. CONCLUSION
i. The BTR-70 APCs were acquired for deployment successful the Ghana Army bid operations. However, these vehicles are not acceptable for purpose. They are excessively outdated and were not refurbished to guarantee their operational viability for usage successful immoderate peacekeeping theatre.
ii. The grounds presented supports the pursuing issues:
1. Lack of Value for Money
2. Failure to Meet Operational Requirements
3. Neglect of Troops’ Welfare
4. Compromising Troop Safety
5. Mismanagement of Leadership Responsibility
6. Misrepresentation of Information
7. Fraudulent Practices
5. RECOMMENDATION
i. I respectfully petition the President to initiate a value-for-money audit and probe to measure the benefits, if any, that the Ghana Armed Forces has derived from the procurement of the BTR-70 APCs.
ii. I stay disposable to supply immoderate further accusation oregon clarification arsenic required.
Respectfully submitted.
Ola Durojaiye
Post Office Box 784
Osu
Accra
Telephone: 0541222007
Email: rangerdurojaiye@yahoo.com
Copy to:
Minister of Defence
Acting Chief of the Defence Staff
English (US) ·