The organizers of the Ghana Ministers of State Excellence Honours have firmly dismissed allegations that they asked the Director-General of the State Interests and Governance Authority (SIGA), Prof. Michael Kpessa-Whyte, to provide sponsorship in return for receiving an award.
The statement comes amid growing public discussion about the awards’ credibility. Prof. Kpessa-Whyte had earlier disclosed that he was nominated for “Best CEO of the Year” and was invited to the awards ceremony at the La Palm Royal Beach Hotel.
In the invitation, the organizers reportedly presented sponsorship opportunities, such as a GH¢50,000 sponsorship package or buying a table for eight people for GH¢25,000.
Speaking on Citi FM’s Eyewitness News on Monday, June 8, Prince Mackay, CEO of Big Events Ghana, rejected claims that the organizers had personally approached Prof. Kpessa-Whyte to fund the event in exchange for the honour.
“Let me begin by thanking Professor Whyte for his support of the programme,” Mackay said. “We are an events company. When we put together events, we send out sponsorship requests this is not the first time.”
He stressed that the request was sent to SIGA as an organization, not to Prof. Kpessa-Whyte personally.“We did not write to Professor Whyte as an individual. We never asked him to sponsor the award. The letter went to SIGA, the institution where he serves as CEO,” Mackay clarified.
He expressed surprise at the controversy, noting that seeking sponsorship is a normal and common practice in the events industry.“If I sent you a sponsorship letter and you chose not to support the event, why would you then claim that I asked you to pay for an award? That’s not what happened,” he added.
According to Mackay, SIGA eventually turned down the request, explaining that the proposal had been submitted too late for consideration.
The awards scheme has faced recent public criticism after honouring several ministers and heads of public institutions from the current government, including Finance Minister Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, who was named Overall Best Minister of the Year.
Organizers insist the honours are meant to celebrate outstanding performance and dedicated service in the public sector, and that no recipient is required to pay or sponsor the event to receive an award.
