Dr. Valerie Esther Sawyerr
The Office of the Registrar of Companies (ORC) has contradicted a key finding of the committee set up by President John Mahama to investigate concerns raised over the award of contracts under the government’s Big Push initiative.
According to an official report obtained from the ORC by The Fourth Estate, GROWTH 82 Global Limited was incorporated on January 21, 2025.
This contradicts the 72-page report of the committee chaired by the President’s Senior Presidential Advisor, Dr. Valerie Esther Sawyerr, which states that GROWTH 82 Global Limited was registered on August 18, 2020.
According to the Fourth Estate, the discrepancy raises questions about the evidence relied upon by the Sawyerr Committee in arriving at its findings on the company, which was awarded a GH¢683 million contract for the construction of the Dodo Pepeso-Nkwanta road under the Big Push initiative.
The Fourth Estate had in March 2026 reported concerns about the capacity and experience of some companies awarded major contracts under the initiative, including GROWTH 82 Global Limited.
The investigation had found that GROWTH 82 was less than a year old when it was awarded the multi-million-cedi road contract and, at the time, did not have the classification required for such a contract.
Following the publication, President Mahama established the Sawyerr Committee to investigate the concerns raised in the report
Registration Date
In its report, the Sawyerr Committee stated, “Evidence shows that the company Growth 82 Global Limited was registered on August 18, 2020.”
But an official report from the ORC obtained by The Fourth Estate gives the date of incorporation as January 21, 2025, almost four and a half years after the date stated by the committee.
The January 21, 2025 incorporation date also means that GROWTH 82 was registered about two weeks after the current NDC administration was sworn into office.
The committee stated that GROWTH 82 received an A3B3 certificate on September 6, 2024, an A2B2 certificate on March 19, 2025, and an A1B1 certificate on August 14, 2025.
“But if the ORC record is correct that the company was incorporated on January 21, 2025, it raises a fundamental question: How could a company incorporated in January 2025 have obtained a road contractor classification in September 2024?” the Fourth Estate quizzed.
Rapid Classification
It said the rapid progression attributed to GROWTH 82 also raises questions about the Ministry of Roads and Highways’ contractor classification system.
Sources familiar with the classification system told The Fourth Estate that it is highly unusual for a road construction company to move from A3B3 to A2B2 and then A1B1 within such a short period.
“For a company to graduate from one class to the other, it must demonstrate experience and track record of other works. They should tell the people of Ghana which projects were delivered by Growth 82 Global Limited to justify any such quick upward classifications,” a source said.
The Fourth Estate noted that the Ministry of Roads and Highways’ own requirements indicate that companies seeking A1B1 classification must, among other things, provide evidence of major road and related civil engineering contracts executed within the preceding five years.
The President of the Ghana Institution of Engineers, Ludwig Annang Hesse, also told The Fourth Estate that obtaining the highest classification requires companies to satisfy several requirements.
According to him, an A1B1 company should be able to provide audited financial statements covering three years and GRA certification, demonstrate about five years’ experience in handling major projects, and have about 55 experienced personnel as well as the appropriate equipment.
“These requirements raise questions about how GROWTH 82 could have progressed to A1B1 within months of its incorporation, if the ORC record of January 21, 2025 is accurate,” the Fourth Estate argued.
The Fourth Estate has also established that the latest contractor classification report published on the Ministry of Roads and Highways’ website as of March 2026 was dated February 3, 2026. That report classified GROWTH 82 Global Limited as A2B2M2.
This appears to conflict with the Sawyerr Committee’s assertion that the company obtained A1B1 classification on August 14, 2025, the Fourth Estate stated.
Who owns GROWTH 82?
ORC records obtained by The Fourth Estate show that GROWTH 82 Global Limited is owned by Benjamin-Diaz Adann and Zaid Imam.
Mr Adann holds 70 percent of the company’s shares, while Mr Imam holds the remaining 30 percent.
Further checks by The Fourth Estate established that Mr. Adann is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of ADB Ghana Medicals Limited.
The company has been awarded contracts by the Ghana Medical Trust Fund, popularly known as Mahama Cares, including contracts relating to the restoration of the Catheterisation Lab at the National Cardiothoracic Centre at Korle Bu and works at the Cardiothoracic Centre of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi.
The ownership and business links, however, do not by themselves establish wrongdoing, according to the Fourth Estate.
It said they raise questions about the experience and capacity available to GROWTH 82 at the time it obtained its road contract and the due diligence undertaken before the award.
Other Discrepancies
The concerns identified by The Fourth Estate are not limited to GROWTH 82.
The original investigation also raised questions about the staff strength of companies awarded contracts under the Big Push initiative.
In the case of Build Managers Limited, the signed contract documents indicated that the company had one worker.
However, the Sawyerr Committee stated that Build Managers had 20 staff as of January 2025.
Similarly, The Fourth Estate reported that the SSNIT clearance certificate of Sanam Ghana Limited indicated that the company had four workers.
The Sawyerr Committee, however, stated that Sanam Ghana had 25 staff members.
The Fourth Estate said the discrepancies raise questions about the sources of the information used by the committee and whether the figures were independently verified against primary records.
A Daily Guide Report