Adwoa Safo and Ernest Norgbey
The Minister of State in-charge of Public Procurement, Sarah Adwoa Safo, yesterday clashed with the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament (MP) for Ashaiman, Ernest Norgbey over questions pertaining to government procurement in parliament.
The MP for Ashaiman wanted to ask the Minister of State in charge of Procurement which procurement method was used by MASLOC to award contract to Dextro Impex to supply 1,8000 vehicles worth GH¢28.8 million and also whether any company apart from VOKACOM bid for the Ghana Post’s GPS.
But the Minister of State in-charge of Public Procurement, who is also the deputy majority leader, said those questions do not fall under her purview since her ministry is only an advisory one created to advise the President on policies and strategies relating to public procurement so that there would be value for money.
“I want to state for the records that per the Public Procurement Act, 2003 (Act 663) and Act 914 as amended, the Public Procurement Authority (PPA) is the regulatory body with the sole mandate to grant procurement approvals and ensuring compliance with all relevant procurement rules and processes,” she said.
According to the Minister of State in-charge of Public Procurement, the PPA is an agency legally placed under the Ministry of Finance and that it is only the Minister of Finance, who has been mandated by the Act to superintend over matters of procurement.
She pointed out that that the legal framework does not authorize her office or any other office to conduct centralized procurement.
“To this end, I wish to state that the Office of the Minister of State in charge of Public Procurement exists only to advise His Excellency the President on government procurement policies and strategies,” she said.
The Speaker Prof Mike Oquaye accordingly referred those questions to the Minister of Finance.
He is to be notified about the questions by the Table Office of Parliament to enable him come to the House to answer them.
By Thomas Fosu Jnr