A deepening controversy has emerged around the National Democratic Congress government’s flagship “Big Push” infrastructure programme, after allegatio
A deepening controversy has emerged around the National Democratic Congress government’s flagship “Big Push” infrastructure programme, after allegations surfaced that the Ministry of Roads and Highways removed key contract data from its official website shortly after President John Dramani Mahama ordered a probe into the procurement scandal that has seen hugely inflated road contracts awarded to party cronies.
The development, first highlighted by The Fourth Estate, has intensified concerns about transparency and accountability in the award of multi-billion cedi road contracts, particularly those procured through sole sourcing and restrictive tendering.
The Fourth Estate investigations uncovered that 107 road contracts valued at close to GH₵100 billion—approximately $7 billion—were awarded between August 2025 and February 2026.
Out of these, 81 contracts—representing about 76 percent—were awarded through sole sourcing, while the remaining 26 were procured through restricted tendering.
Crucially, not a single contract was subjected to open competitive tendering, a key requirement for ensuring fairness and value for money in public procurement.
The findings, drawn directly from the Ministry of Roads and Highways’ own Big Push Master Project Register, have triggered intense scrutiny not only of the procurement process but also of the contractors who benefited from the deals.
From Investigation To Presidential Directive
The unfolding saga has attracted presidential intervention calling for investigations into the scandal.
The report, based on official data obtained through a Right to Information (RTI) process, indicated that out of 107 contracts awarded under the Big Push programme, none were subjected to open competitive tendering—raising alarm among civil society groups and policy analysts.
In response to the revelations and growing public concern of potential looting of the treasury, President Mahama directed that full details of the contracts be submitted to his office for review, effectively initiating a probe into the matter.
Data Disappears Amid Scrutiny
However, shortly after the President’s directive, reports emerged that the Ministry had taken down previously published contract data from its website in an apparent attempt to cover up.
The documents—reportedly including details of 54 projects released by the Ministry as part of its initial response to the allegations—became inaccessible, with sections of the website indicating that project tables were “down for maintenance.”
This move has sparked widespread suspicion, with critics questioning whether the removal was a routine technical update or a deliberate attempt to limit public access to information at a critical moment in the investigation.
As of now, the Ministry has not issued a formal explanation addressing the alleged deletion, further fuelling speculation.
Conflicting Narratives And Public Exchanges
The controversy has been marked by a series of public exchanges between government officials and civil society actors.
Agbodza has consistently defended the procurement approach, arguing that the use of sole sourcing was necessary to ensure the rapid execution of infrastructure projects under the Big Push initiative.
Government officials have also maintained that sole sourcing is legally permissible under Ghana’s Public Procurement Law, particularly in cases requiring urgency, and have pointed out that some projects were inherited from previous administrations.
On the other side, Sulemana Braimah, Executive Director of the Media Foundation for West Africa, has challenged these explanations, insisting that the data used in the investigation was sourced directly from the Ministry itself and verified through multiple channels.
He has described the Ministry’s earlier responses as insufficient and called for greater transparency, particularly given the scale of the contracts involved.
Transparency Debate
The alleged removal of data has shifted the focus of the controversy from procurement practices alone to broader issues of transparency, information access and cover up.
The incident has also raised questions about compliance with the Right to Information Act, under which the original data was obtained after initial resistance from the Ministry.
President’s Position on Sole Sourcing
Amid the controversy, President John Dramani Mahama has reiterated his stance on procurement reform.
At a recent dialogue with civil society organisations, he acknowledged that while sole sourcing is legal, it should be used sparingly, with preference given to open and competitive tendering to ensure value for money and transparency.
He further indicated plans to amend the Public Procurement Act to limit the use of sole sourcing and introduce stricter oversight mechanisms, including value-for-money assessments for such contracts.
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