The Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod) has dismissed a series of allegations circulating online regarding its procurement processes, insisting that all transactions relating to laptop purchases and an office renovation contract were conducted in accordance with established procurement rules.

In a statement posted on Facebook, the Media Relations Officer of the board, Prince Kwame Minkah, responded to claims that the institution had engaged in inflated purchases and irregular contract awards.

Addressing an initial allegation that GoldBod purchased laptops at inflated prices, Minkah said the claim had already been disproved through evidence obtained from the supplier’s official website.

According to him, documentation presented by the board showed that the laptops were purchased at prices slightly lower than the prevailing market rates for the specified models.

“First, they alleged that the GoldBod has bought laptops at an inflated price. The GoldBod adduced incontrovertible evidence from the website of the supplier to show that the price at which the said laptops were bought is slightly cheaper than the open market price of the specified laptop and market-competitive,” he wrote.

He added that critics who initially raised the allegation had since abandoned the claim after the evidence was presented.

The second allegation concerned a GH¢11 million contract for office renovation works, which critics claimed had been awarded through sole sourcing to a company linked to Stan Dogbe, the Deputy Chief of Staff in charge of Operations.

Minkah rejected the claim, stating that the contract was not awarded through sole sourcing but through restricted tendering, a procurement method approved by the Public Procurement Authority (PPA).

“The GoldBod adduced incontrovertible documentary evidence to show that the said contract was NOT awarded through SOLE SOURCING but rather, RESTRICTED TENDERING, approved by the PPA,” he said.

He explained that restricted tendering was adopted due to the urgency of the renovation works at Diamond House, which previously housed the defunct Precious Minerals Marketing Company (PMMC).

According to him, newly recruited staff required office space urgently, making a lengthy competitive tender process impractical.

Minkah further criticised attempts by some commentators to equate restricted tendering with sole sourcing, describing the comparison as misleading.

Citing provisions in the Public Procurement Act, he said the two methods are fundamentally different. While sole sourcing involves awarding a contract without any competitive bidding, restricted tendering allows multiple contractors—typically between three and six—to submit bids for evaluation.

“A simple reading of sections 38 and 40 of the Public Procurement Act will show the difference between the two different and distinct procurement methods,” he said.

Responding to another allegation that the contractor lacked the necessary certification at the time of bidding, Minkah said the claim was based on a misunderstanding of the tender submission timeline.

Critics had argued that the tender letter submitted by the contractor, Correca Ghana Limited, was dated July 1, 2025, while its Works and Housing Certificate was issued on July 2, 2025.

However, Minkah explained that the date on the letter did not represent the actual submission date.

“The letter submitting the company’s tender was dated 1st July, 2025. However, it was not submitted or received by the GoldBod on that date. Rather, it was submitted to the GoldBod on 2nd July, 2025, by which time the renewed Works and Housing Certificate of the company had been issued,” he said.

He maintained that the company’s tender documents, including the valid certificate, were submitted together on 2 July 2025, as confirmed by the evaluation report of the entity’s tender committee.

Minkah also rejected suggestions that the contract represented a conflict of interest involving Stan Dogbe.

He said Correca Ghana Limited is not owned by Dogbe personally but is jointly owned by two companies — Eclaire Ghana Limited and Woezor Holdings Ghana Limited — and has been in existence since August 2017.

According to him, Dogbe is no longer involved in the day-to-day operations of the companies and did not participate in any stage of the procurement process.

“Checks with the procurement unit of the GoldBod will show that Mr. Stan Dogbe was not in any shape or form involved in the procurement or tender evaluation process leading to the award of the said contract,” he said.

Minkah added that Dogbe’s role as Deputy Chief of Staff does not give him authority over procurement processes in state-owned enterprises.

The GoldBod spokesperson reaffirmed the institution’s commitment to transparency and accountability in its procurement activities.

“The Ghana Gold Board holds dear the principles of transparency and accountability and will continue to uphold these tenets by publishing all contracts it enters into. We have nothing to hide,” he stated.