A senior official at the Media Foundation for West Africa has defended findings by its investigative arm, The Fourth Estate, insisting that data pointing to widespread sole sourcing in government road contracts is credible and difficult to dispute.
Speaking on the Asaase Breakfast Show on Monday (30 March), Programmes Manager for Independent Journalism, Kwaku Krobea Asante, said the investigation was based on official data obtained directly from the Ministry of Roads and Highways through a Right to Information (RTI) request.
“The data we have is not something we manipulated. It is the data provided by the ministry itself,” he stated.
According to him, out of 107 contracts reviewed under the government’s flagship “Big Push” infrastructure programme, 81 were awarded through sole sourcing, with the remaining 26 classified under selective or restricted tendering. He stressed that none of the contracts examined went through competitive bidding.
The findings, he noted, raise serious concerns about adherence to Ghana’s procurement laws, particularly the Public Procurement Act, 2003 (Act 663), which stipulates that sole sourcing should only be used under exceptional circumstances.
“Even if the government’s own figure of 44 percent is accepted, that alone is extremely worrying. Are we saying nearly half of all contracts were awarded under exceptional conditions?” he questioned.
Asante further alleged inconsistencies in the government’s response, claiming that data published by the ministry had been altered after the investigation was made public.
Beyond the procurement method, the investigation has also flagged concerns about the capacity of some companies awarded major contracts. He cited one instance where a firm reportedly received a contract worth over GH¢146 million despite having only one declared employee based on tax clearance records.
“How do you award such a contract to a company with one staff? Even a basic organisational structure would require multiple roles to execute a project of that scale,” he argued.
He added that the investigation is ongoing, with further scrutiny being conducted into the ownership structures of beneficiary companies to determine whether there are links to politically exposed persons.
On institutional oversight, Asante criticised the Public Procurement Authority, suggesting it has failed to effectively enforce compliance.
“The Public Procurement Authority is increasingly becoming a rubber stamp. It is not flagging issues as expected, especially when approvals are coming from the political class,” he said.
He warned that excessive reliance on sole sourcing could contribute to inflated contract costs, poor project execution, and stalled infrastructure development.
“This practice undermines value for money and can lead to abandoned projects because contracts are awarded without due diligence,” he added.
Asante called for stronger leadership and accountability, urging the government to respond decisively to the findings.
“It would be important to hear from the President on this matter, given prior commitments to limit sole sourcing,” he said.
He emphasised that while investigative journalists can expose wrongdoing, the responsibility for action lies with state institutions and political leadership.
“We will continue to present the facts in the public interest. The decisions that follow must come from those in authority,” he concluded.
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