The United Nations (UN) system in Ghana has distanced itself from an organization using its name and that of the Kofi Annan Foundation to confer several fake awards on some public figures in the country.
The UN country office in Ghana said in a statement late Sunday that it had no affiliation with the Blueprint Global Challenge Awards, nor with the organization Blueprint Mission, organizers of the said awards.
The statement came after Ghanaian media published stories about the Blueprint Global Challenge Awards, held on August 28, where many notable public figures received awards and citations.
Among the victims of the fake awards were the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Legon, the Second Deputy Speaker of parliament, the editor of the state-owned Daily Graphic Newspaper, musicians, media personalities, and diplomats, among others.
“All genuine UN notices follow strict rules and procedures and are announced on UN websites. We advise the general public to access genuine information by visiting websites of the relevant UN agencies,” the statement said.
The motives of the fake awards are yet to be established. However, a self-styled “UN Global ambassador” Kwame Fordjour was identified as the brain behind the scam in which awardees received cheap items such as water bottles, flasks, and spoons in addition to the citations. Enditem
