Deputy Gender Minister-designate, Dr Benjamin Sekyere Yeboah, has suggested that the government digitalises all government procurement processes.

According to him, this will reduce the occurrence of bribery and other procurement breaches.

Dr Yeboah who appeared before the Appointments Committee of Parliament on Friday, March 8, to be vetted, explained that when these processes are migrated online, the system automatically selects the best tenders. This way, the process is not only smooth but also very transparent.

The Tano South MP emphasised that when this is followed, it cuts the cost, as it makes the system very competitive.

“In terms of procurement, we should do well to eliminate human interface. Sometimes if somebody is going to procure something and because most people don’t understand the system, they try to influence the system. They try to influence the system whereby instead of them going for the three quotations, sometimes they end up taking one, the supplier adding other quotations...”

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“I believe that when we reduce the human interface where most of the times, we advertise it in papers, you apply online, the team will not ask you to come and meet them until you are selected. In those circumstances, there won’t be that favouritism and the rest,” he said.

He continued, “For that matter the system itself will run and I think... if we decide to go on that line than somebody holding the file going to buy the tender document, going for someone to open the bid and everything human interaction, in that way, there would be favouritism and the rest, and it is not going to help the procurement systems.”

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Dr Yeboah was responding to what can be done to address the procurement lapses in Ghana.

The method for procurement in Ghana is competitive tendering. This involves a general requirement that participation in procurement proceedings should be based on competition. However, recently, the Education Ministry for instance spent over GHȼ68.5 million to purchase WASSCE past questions for students.

The expenditure incurred in 2020 and 2021, according to the Minister of Education, was part of the government's efforts to ensure that students are properly prepared for the exams. 

The Minority in Parliament criticised the sole sourcing approach used to procure the materials and the amount involved.

Although, Ghana’s Public Procurement Act, 2003, (Act 663 as amended) regulates single-source procurement of goods, works and services in Ghana, this must be only after the Public Procurement Authority (PPA) has approved it.

The ministry, however, failed to follow the process, hence the accusations of procurement breaches.