The Ministry of Roads has been cleared of allegations regarding the abuse of single-sourcing procurement processes under its signature “Big Push” infrastructure initiative (p. 1).
The findings are detailed in a final 72-page investigative report submitted to President John Mahama following a probe into claims originally published by the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) and The Fourth Estate (p. 1).
Investigation Rejects “Sole-Source Factory” Label
The investigation strongly refuted media characterizations of the Ministry of Roads and Highways as a “sole-source factory” (p. 2). Data audited within the report revealed that competitive tendering remains the state’s overwhelming baseline norm (p. 6):
- Total Audited Contracts: 1,441 road project contracts were awarded under the current administration (p. 2).
- Competitive Tenders: 1,301 projects—representing 90.28% of all contracts—were awarded through open competitive bidding (pp. 2-3).
- The Single-Source Share: Only 4.58% of the total 1,441 road contracts utilized single-sourcing (pp. 3, 6).
Why 47.14% of “Big Push” Projects Were Single-Sourced
Out of the 140 specialized projects carved out under the accelerated Big Push portfolio, 66 contracts (47.14%) were single-sourced with Public Procurement Authority (PPA) Board approval (p. 3). The report concluded that this targeted deviation did not breach the Public Procurement Act (Act 663) and was justified by four critical factors (pp. 5-6):
- Accelerated Infrastructure Delivery: Meeting a core mandate to scale and modernize the national road network at an expedited pace (p. 5).
- Procurement Efficiency: Avoiding alternative bidding processes that would introduce severe delays and prolong community distress (p. 5).
- National Security Urgency: Responding to intense public outcry over degraded corridors that created security vulnerabilities (p. 5).
- Fiscal Risk Mitigation: Hedging against market inflation and preventable project cost escalations (p. 5).
Technical and Policy Reforms Ahead
While the report cleared the ministry of statutory breaches, it acknowledged strong public aversion to non-competitive bidding (pp. 6, 19). To protect fiscal transparency without creating administrative bottlenecks, the report recommends anchoring future high-value exemptions under the newly enacted Value for Money Office Act, 2026, enforcing mandatory Cabinet approvals, and publishing ultimate beneficial owners on central e-procurement portals (pp. 16-18).
