Roads Ministry reacts to Prof Adei's '1 million for road contract' allegation

The Ministry of Roads and Highways has reacted to an allegation by the former chairperson of the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), Prof Stephen Adei, that government officials demand the payment of 1 million before awarding road contracts.

In a statement sighted by GhanaWeb, the ministry indicated that the allegations by Prof Adei are serious and concerning.

It stated that the allegation is serious because the award of road contracts in Ghana is transparent as required by law.

The ministry added that because of the seriousness of the claims, the sector minister, Kwasi Amoako-Attah, has called on EOCO to investigate it.

“The allegation was made by Prof Stephen Adei, a former Rector of GIMPA in an interview with TV3 a private television station in Ghana. In the said interview first aired on Friday 20th October 2023, Prof Adei alleges that he has information to the effect that persons seeking road contracts are told: 'Road contracts will be given to you, provided you pay 1 million upfront....

“These allegations are surprising at the least because the processes leading to the award of road contracts are open, transparent, competitive and in accordance with the law,” parts of the statement, which was issued on October 23, 2023, reads.

The ministry added, “Given that the alleged conduct borders on the commission of crime against the Republic, the Minister of Roads and Highways, Hon. Kwasi Amoako-Attah, has today, 23rd October 2023, requested the Executive Director of the Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO) to fully investigate the allegations.”

What Prof Adei said:

Prof Adei, a former Director-General and Rector of the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration, in a recent interview with TV3, bemoaned the issue of corruption in the awarding of contracts for projects including roads in the Akufo-Addo government.

He said that the president, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, should be ashamed of himself if he is aware of the shady deals going on in his government.

“This road contract would be given to you, provided you put one million upfront, not after you have gotten the money. This is what Akufo-Addo must be thinking about and if he knows about it, he must be ashamed.

“That now his people demand from you a certain amount before you would be considered for a job. Why? Because when they get it, whether the government pays you or not they have gotten their money. It is as if people are in a hurry to loot the country before the end of Akufo-Addo’s term,” he added.

Read the full statement by the ministry below:

BAI/DAG

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