Accra: President John Dramani Mahama has ordered an investigation into 'unmerited' sole source allegations in the award of road contracts by the Ministry of Roads and Highways, led by Kwame Governs Agbodza. Speaking at an event dubbed the Presidential Dialogue with Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) on Monday, March 30, 2026, the president indicated that the full details of the investigation by the Fourth Estate, where the allegations were made, be presented to his office. He added that he has also instructed the Ministry of Roads and Highways to answer all the allegations made in the report.
According to Ghana Web, the president noted the recent expose by the Fourth Estate on procurement processes related to the award of contracts under the Big Push programme. He acknowledged that while sole sourcing is legal under certain circumstances under the current procurement law, open and transparent tenders are preferable for achieving competitive pricing and value for money. President Mahama has instructed his office to obtain the full detailed report from the Fourth Estate and conduct a study of the allegations presented. The Ministry of Roads and Highways has been requested to present a detailed response to inform the government's action on the matter.
Mahama highlighted that the issue surrounding government contracts and their sourcing is a result of the current procurement law. To address this, his government plans to amend the law. He announced that the government will introduce amendments to the Public Procurement Act to limit single sourcing, promoting greater transparency and ensuring proper value for money on projects. Additionally, the Minister of Finance has been requested to expedite the setup of an independent value-for-money office. This new office will ensure that all single-source procurements undergo rigorous value-for-money review once the procurement legislation is amended.
The investigation by the Fourth Estate revealed that the Ministry of Roads and Highways awarded 81 sole-sourced contracts worth over GHS73 billion in a span of 7 months.