The government has rejected allegations that the Ministry of Roads and Highways has become a “sole-source factory”, insisting that the overwhelming majority of road contracts awarded under the current administration were procured through open and competitive tendering processes.

Addressing a press briefing in Accra on Monday, Government Spokesperson Felix Kwakye Ofosu disclosed that a detailed investigation ordered by President John Mahama found that 90.28 per cent of all road contracts awarded since 2025 were subjected to competitive procurement procedures.

The findings are contained in a 72-page report prepared by the Senior Presidential Advisor on Governmental Affairs, Dr Valerie Sawyer, following allegations by investigative journalism outlet, The Fourth Estate, and the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), which suggested abuse of the single-source procurement method under the government’s road infrastructure programme.

Mr Kwakye Ofosu said the Presidency initiated the review after President Mahama invited civil society organisations and anti-corruption groups to formally submit evidence backing claims of procurement irregularities.

According to him, the MFWA submitted the report to the Presidency on April 1, 2026. The following day, President Mahama referred the matter to Dr Sawyer to investigate the allegations and establish the facts.

The report was subsequently forwarded to the Ministry of Roads and Highways for a response on April 8, with the ministry submitting its response on April 21. The final report was presented to the President on May 22.

Mr Kwakye Ofosu announced that the full report would be made public to promote transparency and accountability.

Competitive Tendering Dominates

Presenting highlights of the report, the Government Spokesperson said investigators established that a total of 1,441 road contracts had been awarded by agencies under the Ministry of Roads and Highways during the period under review.

The breakdown showed that the Ghana Highways Authority awarded 405 contracts, while the Department of Feeder Roads awarded 896. In addition, there were 23 legacy projects inherited from the previous administration, as well as projects undertaken under the government’s “Big Push” infrastructure programme.

Out of the 1,441 projects, he said, 1,301 contracts were awarded through open and competitive tendering processes after public advertisement and verification.

“The report established that 1,301 out of 1,441 projects were awarded through open or competitive tendering. These were publicly advertised and verified,” Mr Kwakye Ofosu stated. "The foregoing therefore reveals that 1,301 out of 1,441 contracts representing 90.28% of road contracts under this government were awarded through the open competitive tendering process," he stated.

He said only 140 projects fell under the Big Push initiative and were procured through alternative procurement methods.

The report further found that of the 140 Big Push projects, 66 were awarded through single-source procurement, 51 through restrictive tendering, while 23 were legacy projects inherited from the previous administration that had already been awarded on a single-source basis before being incorporated into the programme.

“Out of the total 1,441 road contracts awarded by the Ministry of Roads and Highways in 2025 and 2026, only 4.58 per cent were awarded through the single-sourcing process,” he stressed.

PPA Approval Obtained

Mr Kwakye Ofosu also rejected suggestions that the procurement processes were conducted outside the law.

According to him, all projects awarded through single-source and restrictive tendering methods received prior approval from the Public Procurement Authority (PPA).

He explained that the Ghana Highways Authority secured PPA approval for 72 Big Push projects, with 51 awarded through single-sourcing and 21 through restrictive tendering.

The Department of Urban Roads obtained approval for 16 projects, comprising 11 single-source contracts and five restrictive tenders.

Similarly, the Department of Feeder Roads received approval for 29 projects, with four awarded through single-sourcing and 25 through restrictive tendering.

The report also noted that 23 projects had been inherited from the previous administration after already being awarded on a single-source basis.

Claims Unsustainable

Mr Kwakye Ofosu said the evidence gathered during the investigation did not support claims that sole-sourcing was the dominant procurement mechanism at the Roads Ministry.

“The evidence above clearly shows that single-sourcing was not the primary mechanism for general Ministry of Roads and Highways contracts,” he said.

“Therefore, any claim that the ministry had become a sole-source factory cannot be sustained on the basis of verifiable evidence. If only 4.58 per cent of road projects were awarded through sole-sourcing, it cannot be said that this is a ministry that predominantly relies on sole-sourcing.”

He reiterated the government's commitment to transparency and accountability, adding that publication of the full report would enable the public to independently assess the findings and conclusions reached by investigators.

The controversy emerged after publications by The Fourth Estate alleged excessive reliance on sole-source procurement in the award of road contracts under the government's flagship Big Push infrastructure programme.

The government maintains that the investigation has demonstrated that competitive tendering remains the principal procurement method in the road sector and that all exceptions were undertaken in accordance with procurement laws and regulatory approvals.