The Chief Executive Officer of Ghana GoldBod, Sammy Gyamfi, has strongly defended the government’s use of sole sourcing in awarding road contracts under the Big Push initiative, insisting that the approach is both lawful and necessary.
His comments come in response to concerns raised by The Fourth Estate, which questioned procurement processes and alleged potential cost inflation in the awarding of contracts.
Urgency Driving Procurement Decisions
Mr. Gyamfi argued that the deteriorating state of roads across the country presents a pressing national security concern that requires swift intervention.
“The deplorable state of our roads is one of the biggest national security threats we face as a country,” he stated, linking poor road conditions to accidents and criminal activity.
He explained that preliminary processes, including surveying, design, and costing of the projects, took about seven months, and warned that further delays through competitive tendering could have stalled project timelines significantly.
“Resorting to the National Competitive Tendering process… would have taken another couple months before the projects could even commence,” he said, adding that such delays could push completion dates beyond 2028.
Legal Basis for Sole Sourcing
Defending the legality of the approach, Mr. Gyamfi cited provisions within Ghana’s procurement laws that allow sole sourcing under specific conditions.
“Section 40 of the Public Procurement Law provides for Single Source procurement… on grounds of urgency,” he noted, stressing that all such contracts received approval from the Public Procurement Authority.
He further clarified that the government’s long-standing position has not been against sole sourcing itself, but rather against its misuse.
“The unjustified use and abuse of sole sourcing is what President John Dramani Mahama and the NDC have condemned.” - Sammy Gyamfi
Rejection of Inflation Claims
Mr. Gyamfi dismissed allegations that the contracts were inflated, insisting there is no evidence to support such claims.
“There is not a scintilla of evidence… that the use of sole sourcing… was unjustified or that there were any breaches of the law.” - Sammy Gyamfi
He added that value-for-money audits were conducted and that payments for road works are based strictly on certified work completed by independent consultants.
Addressing discrepancies in reported figures, Mr. Gyamfi revealed that a number of the projects cited were inherited from the previous administration.
He explained that 23 out of 84 projects, including major road developments, were originally awarded through sole sourcing and later incorporated into the current programme without being re-awarded.
“This government has simply novated the projects, maintained the contractors and provided funding,” he said, accusing critics of misrepresenting the data.
Debate Over Policy Consistency
Mr. Gyamfi also questioned the logic behind criticisms that link current actions to past opposition rhetoric.
“So what’s the point really? The NDC spoke against sole-sourcing in the past so every resort… must be condemned?” he asked, describing the comparison as “a classical case of comparing oranges with apples.”
The debate highlights growing scrutiny over procurement practices in Ghana, particularly within large-scale infrastructure programmes.
While the government maintains that urgency and legality justify its approach, critics continue to call for greater transparency and adherence to competitive processes.
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