Bright Simons Shocked Over NSB Finance Director’s Non-Clearance to Verify Documentation for Major Payments
Acclaimed Policy Analyst and Vice President of IMANI Africa, Bright Simons, has sharply criticised the financial management practices within Ghana’s national security architecture, describing the system as “totally broken” following startling revelations made by the Director of Finance of the National Signals Bureau (NSB).
According to Mr Simons, the testimony of the NSB’s Finance Director exposes deep-rooted operational and financial control failures within one of the country’s key national security agencies.
“The testimony of the Director of Finance of the National Signals Bureau, one of the three key agencies in Ghana’s national security complex, affirms my position that the system is totally broken,” he stated in a post on social media.
Security Clearance Without Financial Oversight
Mr Simons expressed shock that the Director of Finance—tasked with overseeing the Bureau’s finances—lacked the requisite security clearance to verify documentation or understand the rationale behind major payments.
“She is the Head of Finance but she doesn’t have the security clearance to verify documentation and confirm the reasons why certain payments are made. Unbelievable!” he remarked.
This, he said, points to an alarming lack of financial and operational integrity within Ghana’s national security establishment.
National Security’s Expanding Commercial Role
Simons further highlighted that the rot within the security sector poses broader risks to the state, given the outsized role national security agencies play in commercial transactions across Ghana.
“In Ghana, national security agencies aren’t only used for strictly investigative, intelligence, and counterintelligence operations. They are deeply involved, by design, in many commercial activities involving the state,” he said.
He cited instances where national security operatives—often without adequate subject matter expertise—vet companies involved in sensitive government contracts, particularly in gold trading and major procurement exercises.
Opaque Dealings and National Risk Exposure
Simons revealed that government-linked gold trading activities have, in some cases, led to financial losses, with companies approved by national security personnel later found to be questionable.
He recalled that during the Kufuor administration’s cedi redenomination exercise, contractors were handpicked based on national security clearances rather than merit or due diligence.
According to him, these practices have created a breeding ground for collusion between political and security elites, facilitating underhand commercial dealings disguised as sensitive national operations.
“The pretence that a national security bureaucracy riddled with nepotistic hiring and antiquated tools is somehow uniquely suited to perform supposedly ultra-sensitive tasks has become a cover to bypass sensible and standard procedures,” Simons argued.
Call for Urgent Reforms
Simons noted that the collusion between politicians and security actors has allowed for the unchecked creation of “overnight multimillionaires” under the guise of national interest.
He stressed that the implications of the NSB Finance Director’s testimony should trigger widespread institutional reforms.
“In any country capable of national learning, massive reforms of the security sector would have been underway as soon as this testimony got to the Attorney General,” he concluded.
Former Director-General of the National Signals Bureau (NSB), Kwabena Adu-Boahene, has been arrested in connection with an alleged financial scandal involving a $7 million cyber defense system contract and charged with stealing contrary to Section 124 (1) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29).
