Alexander Akwasi Acquah, Member of Parliament for Akyem Oda and former Deputy Minister of Health, has raised concerns over the award of contracts for the government’s proposed 24-hour economy markets initiative.
In a Facebook post that has sparked public discussion, the lawmaker questioned the procurement processes used in awarding contracts for the construction of the markets across various districts and regions.
His comments come at a time when government and regional authorities are rolling out contracts for the establishment of modern 24-hour economy markets nationwide as part of the government’s flagship economic transformation agenda.
The initiative seeks to transition Ghana from what authorities describe as an import-dependent and limited eight-hour work structure to a production-driven, round-the-clock economy aimed at boosting productivity, creating jobs, and stabilising the local currency.
Under the policy, approximately 260 model market contracts are expected to be awarded across the country to support the implementation of the 24-hour economy framework in nearly all 261 districts.
The proposed markets are expected to feature modern facilities including restaurants, clinics, cold storage centres, and police stations to support continuous day-and-night business operations.
The initiative is also intended to transform key farming and commercial districts into vibrant economic hubs operating beyond traditional business hours.
However, concerns have emerged over the transparency of the procurement process.
The operational procedures governing competitive tendering and sole sourcing in Ghana are outlined in the Public Procurement Act, 2003 (Act 663), as amended by Act 914.
The law requires government contracts to be opened to multiple bidders to ensure fairness, cost-efficiency, transparency, and equal opportunity.
Sole sourcing, also known as single-source procurement, is permitted only under exceptional circumstances and cannot be used arbitrarily or as a default procurement method.
Under Section 40 of Act 663, a procurement entity may only resort to single-source procurement under strictly defined conditions.
Mr. Acquah’s remarks appear to suggest concerns that the contracts may have been awarded through sole sourcing rather than a competitive bidding process.
In his Facebook post, the MP wrote:
“Contracts for the construction of 24 Hour Economy Markets have been signed. Were they also sole sourced? Asem be ba dabi.”
The statement has since generated debate on social media, with some users calling for greater transparency and accountability in the procurement process surrounding the ambitious national project.
Government officials are yet to publicly respond to the concerns raised by the Akyem Oda legislator.
By 1960news.com
