President John Dramani Mahama has directed his office to obtain the full report by The Fourth Estate on the Big Push road contracts, following allegations of questionable procurement practices under the government’s flagship infrastructure programme.
The President’s intervention comes after an investigation by The Fourth Estate raised concerns over the extensive use of sole sourcing and possible cost inflation in contracts awarded under the road initiative.
The report alleged that the Minister for Roads and Highways, Kwame Governs Agbodza, supervised the award of 81 sole-sourced contracts worth more than GH¢73 billion within just seven months.
Addressing Civil Society Organisations during an engagement on governance and accountability, President Mahama said the matter would be subjected to closer scrutiny before any decision is taken.
Transparency concerns move to centre stage
Mahama acknowledged that while sole sourcing is permitted under Ghana’s procurement framework in limited circumstances, the ideal standard remains competitive and transparent tendering.
“While sole sourcing is legal in certain circumstances under our current procurement law, we all agree that open, transparent tenders are always preferable for achieving competitive pricing and value for money.” - John Dramani Mahama
The President added that his office had so far only seen portions of the claims in the media and would now seek the complete findings for proper assessment.
“Although we have received snippets of the investigation on the media, I have instructed my office to obtain the full detailed report from the Fourth Estate and to conduct the study of the various allegations presented in the report.” - John Dramani Mahama
Roads Ministry asked to account
As part of the review process, President Mahama said the Ministry of Roads and Highways has also been asked to provide a detailed explanation on the allegations.
“We are also requesting the Minister for Roads and Highways to present a detailed response to those allegations made there in, in order to inform government’s action.” - John Dramani Mahama
The directive signals a potentially important accountability test for one of the government’s most ambitious infrastructure programmes, which has been promoted as central to improving road connectivity and boosting economic activity.
The development is expected to intensify public and civil society scrutiny over procurement standards, value for money, and transparency in major public projects.
With the President now calling for both an independent review of the investigative findings and an official ministerial response, the controversy over the Big Push road contracts is likely to remain firmly in the national spotlight in the coming days.
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