The Executive Director of the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), Sulemana Braimah, has raised alarm over the Road Ministry’s approach to awarding contracts under the government’s “Big Push” infrastructure programme, claiming that a significant number of projects were not competitively tendered.
According to Braimah, 81 out of 107 contracts linked to the initiative were allegedly awarded through sole-sourcing rather than open competitive bidding.
He argued that such a practice raises questions about transparency, accountability, and value for money in the use of public funds.
The concerns have sparked renewed debate about procurement practices in major government infrastructure projects. Critics of sole-sourcing argue that it can limit competition, potentially leading to inflated costs and reduced quality of work.
Braimah said the findings were drawn from official data provided by government agencies.
He said “When we removed the eight ongoing projects, we were left with 107.”
Speaking on TV3, Braimah noted that the procurement methods used for those projects were then examined.
“We looked at what they themselves indicated as the procurement method,” he added.
Braimah said the results showed a clear pattern. “Out of the 107, 81 were done through sole sourcing,” he said.
He added that this translates into a significant proportion. “That is about 76 per cent, which confirms the claims that most of these projects are being sole-sourced,” he stated.
As of now, the Road Ministry has not publicly responded to the claims. However, the issue is expected to draw further attention from civil society organisations and policymakers who continue to advocate for stronger oversight in public procurement.
The “Big Push” programme, designed to accelerate infrastructure development, remains a key government initiative, but questions around contract allocation could influence public perception of its implementation going forward.
