Minority scolds govt for sole-sourcing over GH¢11.5 billion cocoa road projects

Minority accuses govt of inflating the cost of cocoa roads

They also scolded govt for sole-sourcing majority of cocoa road

The cost of the contract has been quoted at GH¢11.5 billion cedis

The Minority in Parliament has lashed out at government for sole-sourcing 3,488 kilometres of the cocoa road project.

The cost of the contract has been quoted at GH¢11.5 billion cedis.

According to Minority in Parliament, such moves inflate the cost of road construction and leave government with limited resources to undertake more projects.

The minority explained that “Per what the Minister of Food and Agriculture, Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto, said in Parliament yesterday, 4,465 kilometres of cocoa road projects awarded under the current administration cost almost GH¢14 billion but under the previous government 2,900 km of similar road projects cost GH¢5.1 billion”.

Speaking to the media in parliament on Thursday, June 17, 2021, Ranking Member on Roads and Transport Committee of Parliament, Kwame Governs Agbodza, queried why the cost of projects is high under the Akufo-Addo-led government.

“The question Ghanaians should be asking is why did projects cost in this country go up so astronomically under the New Patriotic Party?”

Reacting to Mr Agbodza’s statement, Agric Minister Dr Akoto said the government had since 2019 earmarked a total of 286 cocoa roads contracts for construction at a cost of GH¢13.6 billion.

On sole-sourcing of contracts, Dr Akoto said such procurement was used to award 177 road projects out of over 270.

“Mr Speaker, a total of 177 road projects were procured under single source tendering procedures; 150 projects came under Department of Feeder Roads (2,218km) at a cost of GH¢4.28 billion and 27 projects under Ghana Highway Authority [1270km] at a cost of GH¢7.3 billion,” he told Parliament.