The Deputy Minister for Roads and Highways, Alhassan Suhuyini, has dismissed claims that government infrastructure projects are predominantly awarded through sole sourcing, insisting that due procurement processes are being followed in many instances.
Speaking on Newsfile on Saturday, March 28, during discussions on the government’s Big Push infrastructure initiative, Mr. Suhuyini stated that the narrative suggesting widespread sole sourcing does not reflect the true situation.
“Not all works are procured through sole sourcing, and the evidence is there,” he said.
He further clarified that even within the Big Push programme, a considerable number of projects have not been awarded through sole sourcing.
“Secondly, under this Big Push, not all of them were procured under sole sourcing. In fact, by our estimate, they (NPP) can disagree with it,” he added.
The remarks come in response to a report by The Fourth Estate, a project of the Media Foundation for West Africa, which raised concerns about procurement practices under the programme.
The report alleged extensive use of sole sourcing and possible cost inflation, indicating that 81 contracts worth over GH¢73 billion were awarded through sole sourcing within seven months.
However, the Minister for Roads and Highways, Governs Kwame Agbodza, has challenged the findings, stating that only 44% of major contracts under the programme were sole-sourced.
