The existing financial management systems used to monitor billions in infrastructure spending have been declared “no longer fit for purpose,” leading to a crisis of data integrity that has left several road projects without formal tender evidence.
Appearing before the Public Accounts Committee, Governs Kwame Agbodza revealed that the current tracking framework, including the Ghana Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS), is failing to secure crucial contract data or provide the necessary safeguards for the state’s vast infrastructure portfolio.
The depth of the tracking failure was underscored by a startling admission that the ministry’s records are so inaccurate that private contractors have had to correct the government for overstating its own debts.
“You saw the audit report talking about contractors who were told, we owe you a certain amount of money but said no, you don’t owe me or you owe me less than that,” Agbodza stated, noting that the data currently held by officials is simply not accurate enough to manage the 2,000 to 3,000 active contracts currently on the books.
To prevent future procurement irregularities and “un-tendered” contracts from slipping through administrative gaps, a call has been made for an immediate digital overhaul.
The proposed upgrade would ensure that all projects are fully approved and tracked before work begins. “The road ministry needs it even more than anybody, because the amounts of money we are talking about are huge,” the Minister emphasized, confirming that efforts are underway to implement a more robust system to protect the public purse and ensure financial accountability.
Story by: Eugenia Ewoenam Osei
