The Ashanti Regional Minister, Dr Frank Amoakohene says delays affecting planned emergency road projects in the region were linked to controversy over the government’s use of sole-sourced contracts under the flagship “Big Push” infrastructure programme.

Speaking on Ahenfie FM in Kumasi on Wednesday (27 May), Amoakohene said every district in the region was expected to receive at least 10 kilometres of roads, many classified as emergency works, but implementation had stalled after criticism over procurement procedures.

“The roads minister wanted most of the projects sole-sourced to expedite completion,” Amoakohene said. “But we all saw the controversy and the series of press conferences accusing the roads minister of nepotism among others.”

He said the Roads and Highways Minister, Kwame Governs Agbodza, had since halted most of the projects “in the interest of due process”.

“But for that we would have fixed those roads,” he added, warning that continued delays could push some projects into the election year.

The comments come after an investigation by media outlet The Fourth Estate alleged widespread use of sole-sourcing in road contracts awarded under the government’s “Big Push” programme.

President John Mahama had directed the Roads and Highways Ministry to respond to concerns raised in the report and provide the presidency with a detailed breakdown of contracts awarded under the programme.

Speaking during a dialogue with civil society organisations at the Jubilee House, Mahama had said sole-sourcing was permitted under Ghana’s procurement laws in certain circumstances, but stressed that “open, transparent tenders are always preferable for achieving competitive pricing and value for money”.

The president also pledged a review of procurement laws to restrict the use of sole-sourcing.

The Fourth Estate reported that 81 out of 107 contracts awarded under the Big Push programme were sole-sourced, while the remaining 26 were awarded through restricted tendering, with none subjected to competitive tendering.

The investigation also raised concerns over the cost of some projects and the qualifications of certain contractors awarded multimillion-dollar road contracts.