Government rejects wrongdoing claims in Big Push contracts

The government has rejected claims of wrongdoing in the award of contracts under the Big Push infrastructure programme, insisting that the Ministry of Roads and Highways acted within the law when it used single-source procurement for some road projects.

The clarification follows concerns raised by The Fourth Estate over procurement processes linked to contracts awarded under the programme.

Speaking at the Government Accountability Series on Monday, June 15, 2026, Government Spokesperson and Minister for Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, said a 72-page presidential review report had cleared the ministry of any procurement breaches.

Big Push Initiative: Government dismisses 'sole sourcing' accusations

According to him, the report concluded that the use of single-source procurement complied with the Public Procurement Act, 2003 (Act 663), as amended, and was justified by the urgency of the programme.

“The Ministry of Roads and Highways did not breach any procurement laws by using the single-source procurement process prescribed in the Public Procurement Act, 2003, that is Act 663 as amended,” he stated.

Kwakye Ofosu explained that the Big Push initiative was designed as an accelerated infrastructure programme aimed at addressing road deficits, creating jobs, and stimulating economic activity through faster project delivery.

He said government opted for single sourcing in some cases to avoid delays associated with competitive tendering, especially in communities with severely deteriorated road networks.

“A call to rapidly scale and modernise the national road network,” the report noted.

He added that prolonged bidding processes could worsen the challenges faced by residents who depend heavily on those roads.

“Comparative timeline analysis indicates that alternative bidding processes would introduce significant delays, which would only serve to exacerbate the suffering of people living in communities with these roads,” he explained.

The government also cited national security considerations and the need to avoid rising project costs due to inflation and delays as reasons for adopting the procurement method in selected projects.

Kwakye Ofosu maintained, however, that competitive tendering remained the dominant procurement approach within the roads sector.

According to the report, the 47.14 per cent single-source awards covered 140 specialised Big Push contracts, representing only 4.5 percent of the total 1,441 contracts awarded by the Ministry of Roads and Highways.

“The Ministry followed the procedure required by law in awarding the Big Push contracts. They did not abuse the single-source process,” he stated.

NA/MA

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