Government has defended the use of single-source procurement in the implementation of parts of the Big Push road infrastructure programme, insisting that the decision was driven by urgent national considerations and complied with Ghana’s procurement laws.

At a press briefing on Monday, June 15, Government Spokesperson and Minister for Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, said a 72-page presidential review report found that the "Ministry of Roads and Highways acted within the provisions of the Public Procurement Act, 2003 (Act 663), as amended, in awarding the contracts."

According to him, the use of single sourcing for a portion of the contracts was justified by the strategic objectives of the programme.

“The Ministry’s decision to single source 47.14% of the Big Push contracts was informed by urgent and compelling national considerations,” he stated.

The justification follows scrutiny triggered by a report from investigative outlet The Fourth Estate, which raised concerns about the scale of sole sourcing in road contract awards.

He explained that the Big Push initiative was designed as an accelerated infrastructure programme aimed at addressing critical road challenges and stimulating economic activity, requiring faster implementation timelines than traditional procurement processes allow.

The report outlined several key justifications for the procurement approach, including the need for accelerated infrastructure delivery.

The report also cited procurement efficiency concerns, noting that alternative competitive bidding processes would have introduced significant delays, potentially worsening hardship in affected communities.

In addition, government pointed to public safety and national security considerations, arguing that delays in improving critical road corridors could expose vulnerable routes to heightened risk and disrupt essential economic activity.

Another key factor highlighted was fiscal risk mitigation, with the report stating that urgent procurement helped reduce exposure to inflation-driven cost escalations and potential budget overruns associated with delayed project execution.

Mr Kwakye Ofosu explained that these factors collectively informed the classification of the Big Push programme as an accelerated national intervention requiring flexible procurement approaches within the law.

He further noted that "the 47.14% of contracts awarded through single sourcing applied only to specialised Big Push projects, which represent a small fraction of the overall road sector portfolio."

According to him, the Ministry handled 1,441 road sector contracts in total, with Big Push single-source awards accounting for about 4.5% of the entire procurement portfolio.

Government insists that competitive tendering remained the dominant procurement method across the sector, and that the use of single sourcing did not indicate systemic abuse or deviation from legal standards.

He insisted that the Roads Ministry acted within the provisions of the Public Procurement Act, 2003 (Act 663), as amended, and did not breach procurement rules in awarding the contracts.