BIG PUSH, Big Question: Agbodza’s GHS 146Million Giveaway to a Single Worker Company – 4th Estate

The Executive Director of the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), Sulemana Braimah, has raised serious concerns about the capacity of some companies awarded sole-sourced contracts under the government’s flagship Big Push infrastructure programme.

Speaking on JoyNews’ Newsfile programme on Saturday, March 28, Mr Braimah disclosed that certain firms entrusted with major infrastructure projects have extremely limited human resources.

Drawing from official contract documents obtained from the Ministry of Roads and Highways, he revealed, “One of the companies awarded sole-sourced Big Push contracts has four workers; another has one worker.”

According to him, these figures were extracted directly from the Ministry’s Big Push Master Register, raising questions about due diligence and the criteria used in awarding such contracts.

Mr Braimah clarified that the findings form part of a recent investigative report by The Fourth Estate, a project of the MFWA, which examined the procurement processes surrounding sole-sourced contracts under the programme.

He explained that the investigative team initially sought access to the documents through a formal request under the Right to Information (RTI) Act but was denied. This prompted an appeal, after which the documents were eventually released.

In addition to the Ministry of Roads and Highways, Mr Braimah noted that the team engaged other relevant agencies, including the Ghana Highways Authority, to verify and corroborate details contained in the records.

He emphasised that the investigation was conducted using a rigorous and methodical approach to ensure accuracy and credibility.

The revelations have intensified public scrutiny of the Big Push initiative, particularly regarding transparency, procurement practices, and the technical capacity of contractors handling critical national infrastructure projects.