The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has accused the government of using sole-sourcing in the procurement process to award government contracts to relatives and friends of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
Sole-sourcing is an approach where businesses use only one supplier to procure products or services.
Speaking at a press conference at its headquarters in Accra yesterday, the Communications Director of the NDC, Mr Sammy Gyamfi, noted that the use of sole-sourcing by the government was in contrast to claims it made when it was in opposition.
According to Mr Gyamfi, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and the Vice-President and Presidential candidate for the NPP for the December 7 elections, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, had promised to use the sole-sourcing approach when they came to power.
He alleged that a number of overpriced sole-sourced contracts had been awarded to relatives, including Mr Abraham Bawumia, the brother of Dr Bawumia, and Kaminska Bawumia, his wife.
Some of the alleged sole-sourced contracts awarded to the relatives of the NPP, Mr Gyamfi mentioned were the contract for the Phase I of the rehabilitation of the Sunyani Airport awarded to Resource Access Limited, owned by Mr Abraham Bawumia at a cost of GH¢52.25 million.
Other contracts which Mr Gyamfi alleged were awarded to Resource Access Limited through sole-sourcing at a cumulative cost of GH¢83 million in 2020 were the Assin Akropong-Odomasi-Asibrem (22.18km) and the Kyibosohasowodze bungalow feeder (14.50km) cocoa road projects.
He said the country would have saved enough funds if projects that were awarded to Resource Access Limited through sole-sourcing were awarded through a competitive tendering process.
Mr Gyamfi said former President Mahama was the “right man to confront the canker of corruption head-on, by ensuring that the sword of accountability cuts both ways.”
He argued that the former president had a track record of ensuring accountability and transparency as he ensured the investigation and retrieval of funds involved in the bus branding scandal during his administration.
Mr Gyamfi, therefore, urged Ghanaians to vote massively for the presidential candidate of the NDC, Mr John Dramani Mahama, during the upcoming December 7 elections.
BY PRECIOUS NYARKO BOAKYE
