The Sports Ministry insists that it paid the GH¢3.6 million reportedly paid to the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC).

According to the Minister's Executive Assistant, his office did not directly engage the external team consulted by the GBC to conduct the coverage.

In light of this, Jamaludeen Abdullah finds it worrying that the state broadcaster claims not to have received the stipulated GH¢3.6 million for the games' coverage.

This comes after the GBC's Director-General, Prof. Amin Alhassan clarified that the media house only received $105,000, and not $3 million as stated by Sports Minister Mustapha Ussif to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).

Responding to a query from Sam Nartey George, Member of Parliament for Ningo-Prampram on Monday about the payment status for coverage, Mr Mustapha stated that full payment had been made.

• Read also: We received $105K for African Games coverage, not $3m – GBC Director General

"GBC was the official broadcaster for the 13th All African Games, and I can confirm that full payment has been made to GBC. I can’t remember the exact amount but I know that it is in the excess of $3 million,” he said.

But reacting to the comment, Prof. Alhassan refuted the claims made by the Minister in an interview on GTV on Tuesday.

"We facilitated payments to foreign third parties who came in to do the production and not for the benefit of GBC. GBC's benefit, I repeat, $105,000 and that is what we got."

This has stirred controversy among Ghanaians.

But the Minister's Executive Assistant explained on Joy FM's Newsnite that it is based on the GBC's cost estimates that the Ministry entered into the contract to pay the said amount.

He said per the letter, GBC was only entitled to $105,000 suggesting that not all of the lump sum [$3.6m] was for the state broadcaster alone but the third parties as well.

"The third parties they brought on board, that they indicated that this should go to the person, this should go to this person, was not our sole directive or sole decision."