The government has dismissed claims that the Ministry of Roads and Highways has become a “sole-source factory”, revealing that only 4.58% of road contracts awarded under the current administration were procured through sole-sourcing.
Government Spokesperson and Minister for Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, made the disclosure at a press briefing on Monday, June 15, following the presentation of a 72-page investigative report commissioned by President John Mahama.
According to him, the report found no evidence to support allegations of widespread abuse of sole-sourcing in the award of road contracts, including those under the government’s flagship “Big Push” infrastructure programme.
Mr. Kwakye Ofosu said the investigation was initiated after the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), acting on behalf of The Fourth Estate, submitted a report to the Presidency alleging procurement irregularities within the Ministry of Roads and Highways.
He explained that President Mahama, committed to transparency and accountability, referred the matter to the Senior Presidential Advisor on Governmental Affairs, Dr. Valerie Sawyer, for independent assessment.
Investigation timeline
Mr. Kwakye Ofosu said the Presidency received the MFWA report on April 1, 2026, and forwarded it to the Roads and Highways Ministry a week later for response. The ministry responded on April 21, while the final report was submitted to the President on May 22.
He added that the full report will be made public by the close of Sunday to allow citizens to review its findings.
Key findings
Presenting highlights of the report, Mr. Kwakye Ofosu said investigators reviewed all road contracts awarded by the ministry and its agencies since the start of the current administration.
A total of 1,441 road projects were awarded during the period under review. Of this number, the Ghana Highways Authority accounted for 405 contracts, the Department of Feeder Roads 896, while 23 projects were inherited from the previous administration and re-awarded for various reasons.
The report also identified 63 consolidated projects and 54 major projects under the Big Push programme.
Out of the total, 1,301 projects were awarded through open and competitive tendering processes.
“Out of 1,441 projects, 1,301 were awarded through open competitive tendering, meaning they were publicly advertised and verified,” Mr. Kwakye Ofosu said.
The remaining 140 contracts were awarded under the Big Push initiative.
Sole-sourcing breakdown
Further analysis showed that 66 of the 140 Big Push projects were awarded through sole-sourcing, while 51 went through restrictive tendering. The remaining 23 were inherited contracts that had already been awarded under sole-sourcing arrangements.
Overall, only 66 of the 1,441 contracts—representing 4.58%—were awarded through sole-sourcing.
He added that within the Big Push programme itself, sole-sourced contracts accounted for 47.14%, meaning less than half of that specific component was awarded through the method.
Procurement approvals
Mr. Kwakye Ofosu stressed that all sole-sourced and restrictive tendering processes received prior approval from the Public Procurement Authority (PPA) Board.
He noted that the Ghana Highways Authority secured approval for 72 Big Push projects, including 51 sole-sourced and 21 restrictive tenders.
The Department of Urban Roads obtained approval for 16 projects, while the Department of Feeder Roads secured approval for 29 projects.
‘Sole-source factory’ claim rejected
Based on the findings, the government rejected claims that the ministry relied heavily on sole-sourcing.
“The evidence clearly shows that sole-sourcing was not the dominant procurement method at the Ministry of Roads and Highways,” Mr. Kwakye Ofosu said.
“With only 4.58% of projects awarded through sole-sourcing, the description of the ministry as a ‘sole-source factory’ is not supported by the data,” he added.
He reaffirmed government’s commitment to transparency and accountability, adding that publication of the full report would allow the public to independently assess its findings.