Roads Minister must resign or be sacked over Big Push sole-sourced contracts – Dr Bomfeh

A lecturer at the University of Professional Studies Accra (UPSA), Dr Kwabena Bomfeh Jnr, has called for the resignation or dismissal of the Minister for Roads and Highways, Governs Kwame Agbodza, over concerns surrounding sole-sourced contracts under the government’s Big Push infrastructure programme.

Speaking on the JoyNews AM Show on Monday, March 30, Dr Bomfeh argued that the situation raises serious questions about consistency and credibility in public governance.

“The Minister must go. There should be a commission of inquiry into the matter. There must be clear principles guiding how we do things in this country. One cannot approbate and reprobate. He himself held a press conference and stated that sole sourcing is an avenue for corruption, so what has changed? For the sake of credibility, Kwame Agbodza must go. He must either resign or be sacked by President Mahama,” he stated.

His remarks follow a report by The Fourth Estate, which raised concerns over procurement practices under the programme, including the extensive use of sole sourcing and possible cost inflation.

The report alleged that the Minister oversaw the award of 81 sole-sourced contracts valued at more than GHS73 billion within seven months.

However, addressing Parliament on March 24, Mr Agbodza rejected claims of any wrongdoing, maintaining that all contracts were awarded in strict compliance with the Public Procurement Act.

He stressed that full details of the contracts, including scope, contractors, timelines and commencement dates, have been made publicly available on the Ministry’s website.

The Minister insisted that there is no scandal surrounding the Big Push programme and reaffirmed government’s commitment to transparency, accountability and efficiency in delivering road infrastructure projects.