PRESIDENT John Dramani Mahama has said that his office has taken interest in The Fourth Estate’s investigative piece on sole-sourced contracts under the big push infrastructure initiative.
“Although we’ve seen snippets of pieces of the investigation in the media, I have instructed my office to obtain the full detailed report and conduct a study of the various allegations in the report,” the President disclosed.
He made this known at the Presidency in Accra on Monday night during a dialogue with Civil Society Organisations.
President Mahama also mentioned that in the spirit of fairness, the Ministry of Roads and Highways has also been directed to provide a response to the allegations in the report.
“We are also requesting the Ministry of Roads and Highways to provide detailed response to those allegations made therein in order to inform government’s action on the matter,” President Mahama stated.
The President’s remarks come on the back of the investigative piece in which The Fourth Estate alleged that the ministry has awarded 81 sole-sourced contracts valued at GH¢73 billion in seven months.
According to the media organisation, the use of sole source as the preferred mode in the award of contracts under the big push initiative contradicts President Mahama’s public utterances to make it an exception.
“Mr Speaker, we are bringing legislation to this House to tighten our procurement processes by banning sole-sourced contracts, except in exceptional circumstances,” it quoted the President as saying during the address on the state of the nation in Parliament on February 27, 2026.
But the ministry has refuted the allegations, stating that only 44 per cent of the contracts were awarded under sole-sourced basis.
“Let me be very clear: only 44 per cent of all major contracts under the Big Push initiative were awarded through sole sourcing. This is far from the claim that the ministry relies heavily on this method,” the Minister, Governs Kwame Agbodza, told Parliament on Monday, March 24, 2026.
To avoid such scenarios going forward, President Mahama told the CSOs that government was set to amend the public procurement law to tighten the procurement regime to avoid abuse.
“It is precisely for such situations that I announce that government will introduce amendments to the Public Procurement Act to limit single sourcing in order to promote greater transparency and ensure proper value for money for the money we spend on projects,” President Mahama explained.
Furthermore, he said inasmuch as sole sourcing of contracts is permissible under the current procurement framework, open and transparent tenders are always preferable for achieving competitive pricing and value for money.
“I remain of the conviction that single sourcing must be used as sparingly as possible,” President emphasised, urging the Ministry of Finance to fast-track the setup of the Independent Value for Money Office, an agency designed to subject all government contracts to value for money review.
He encouraged the CSOs to actively engage with the legislative process, offer constructive inputs, and support public awareness when the procurement law is amended.
“I encourage you to collaborate with government to oversee public projects, monitor budget execution and enhance social accountability mechanisms. Together, we can rebuild and strengthen public trust in our institutions,” the President rallied.
BY JULIUS YAO PETETSI
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