We wouldn’t yield to political pressures in approving contracts – CEO
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO), of the Public Procurement Authority (PPA), Mr Agyenim Boateng Adjei says the Authority would not yield to political pressures in approving contracts.
He indicated that high levels of non-compliance and procurement related corrupt practices still exist within the various procurement entities and structures despite the high level of training and system integration to enhance efficiency in the public procurement process.
These practices, he said eludes the State the desired savings and socio-economic benefits.
But given his new role as the CEO of PPA, Mr Boateng Adjei says he is poised to ensure that noncompliance and procurement related corrupt practices are reversed and every cedi spent is accounted for.
“I will ensure value for money characteristics in every sole sourcing deal and we would not yield to political pressures in approving awards,” he said.
Mr Boateng Adjei was speaking at a press briefing to unveil a new outlook of the PPA.
He said the case for protecting the public purse by the PPA is more pronounced in the light of empirical statistics which provides that close to 60 per cent of government revenue, besides personnel emoluments is spent through the procurement of goods, works and services representing between 15 per cent to 25 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
“Charged with a responsibility to ensure the judicious, economic and efficient use of State resources, the PPA is undoubtedly a major player in the collective responsibility of the executive to protect the public purse and ensure the attainment of value for every cedi spent,” he noted.
To correct the negative perception of corruption in PPA’s operations and bridge the gabs to rebrand, the Authority intends to embark on a targeted campaign to sensitize varied stakeholder groupings on all programmes and activities of the Authority.
The Authority, he says, will cultivate close collaboration with the Private Sector and industry players through the promotion of greater competition and transparency in public procurement processes with the introduction of e-Government Procurement (e-GP) and Open Contracting.
Mr Boateng Adjei noted that a strong platform will also be developed to build capacities of Anti-Corruption Agencies like the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) and other civil society organisations.
Mr Agyenim Boateng Adjei was appointed by President Nana Akufo-Addo earlier this month as the CEO of PPA and was said to have served in the same capacity from 2005 to 2010.
The PPA was established by the Public Procurement Act, 2003 (Act 663) as a body corporate, charged with the responsibility of overseeing the effective implementation of the Act. It is mandated to regulate, assess and ensure full compliance by entities to all the provisions of the Act. PPA does not undertake procurement on behalf of entities but rather seeks to build their capacities to enable effective implementation of the Act.
By Pamela Ofori-Boateng
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