Former National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary candidate for Bibiani Anhwiaso Bekwai constituency, Stephen Donkor, has said the NDC criticised only the manner and practices by which the New Patriotic Party (NPP) carried out sole‑sourcing while in opposition.
Speaking on the Anopa Bofuo show on Angel FM on Thursday, 26 March 2026, he emphasised that their criticism was not of sole‑sourcing as an illegal act under Ghanaian law, but of the way the NPP was using it.
He highlighted that sole‑sourcing is not illegal, but that when it is used, parties must comply with the regulations and laws under the Public Procurement Act. If all requirements are met, sole‑sourcing may be permissible.
“During the elections, the conversation surrounding the issue at that time was not about legal or illegal; it was about the way and manner the NPP was pushing almost everything into sole-sourcing. Sole-sourcing can be a bad thing depending on the manner in which you approach it,” he stated.
Mr Donkor asserted that the NPP government had awarded almost 100% of its contracts through sole‑sourcing, claiming many were issued to family and friends.
He also said the 23 contracts left by the NPP government, which have been included in the NDC government’s “Big Push” initiative, were awarded by sole‑sourcing.
He noted there is no single best practice in Ghana for contract allocation, and said President Mahama had determined that, given the scale and urgency of the Big Push, about 44% of contracts would be awarded through sole‑sourcing to ensure work proceeded quickly.
He added that President Mahama’s approach to sole‑sourcing would not favour family and friends and would comply with the regulations and laws required under the Public Procurement Act, unlike the previous government.
“The president said because the big push project is big and as we want it faster without delays we won’t give it to one person to go and sit and delay else we won’t achieve our aim because me as an auditor I audit base on rule, regulation, and laws so, so far as our sole-sourcing goes in line with these requirements it is not a bad thing that is why president is awarding about 44% under sole-sourcing,” he uttered.
Source: Vanessa Elizabeth Nkum
