The writer
The Finance Minister stood before Parliament and promised a new era of accountability in public procurement, yet the very law he championed undermines that promise.
A close look at the structure of the board reveals a body dominated by partisan political appointees. There is no real independence. The board reports directly to the Minister.
A regulatory body that lacks independence cannot fight corruption in public procurement. Instead, this arrangement risks creating an institution that could ultimately be used to justify and legitimise corruption in public procurement under the cover of regulatory approval.
At the Consideration Stage of the bill, I raised these concerns and cautioned the House that the law, instead of fighting corruption, risked introducing a new layer of politically supervised corruption into the procurement process. The government dismissed those concerns entirely.
Today, events have vindicated the Minority’s position. What has been presented as a reform in accountability is simply another layer of bureaucracy designed to serve political interests under the guise of transparency.
In other jurisdictions where ‘Value for Money’ institutions exist, the laws establishing them provide clear safeguards for independence in appointments, operational mandate and oversight authority. That is what gives such institutions credibility and public trust. Unfortunately, this law falls far short of those standards.
Ghana does not lack laws or institutions. We already have the Public Financial Management Act, the Public Procurement Act, and internal audit systems across public institutions.
The real challenge is enforcement. Those institutions must be strengthened, adequately resourced and their officers held accountable for their responsibilities.
If this NDC government truly wants to fight corruption, it would strengthen existing accountability institutions instead of creating politically controlled structures that can be manipulated to justify questionable procurements.
Ghanaians must pay close attention because this law may very well become the shield behind which the next generation of procurement scandals is defended and justified.
Source: Alexander Afenyo-Markin