Former deputy chief executive of the Public Procurement Authority, Kwame Prempeh, has raised concerns that Ghana’s new value-for-money law could duplicate existing systems without delivering meaningful improvements.
Speaking on the Asaase Breakfast Show on Tuesday (12 May), Prempeh argued that value for money is not a standalone activity but a principle that should be embedded throughout the procurement lifecycle — from needs assessment to project delivery and disposal.
“You don’t necessarily have to create a whole office… it is a duplication of roles,” he said.
He warned that establishing a separate Value for Money Office could worsen delays in an already bureaucratic system and increase public expenditure without clear benefits.
Prempeh also criticised what he described as limited consultation with procurement professionals during the law’s drafting process.
“The lack of engagement with professionals and experts is a concern for me,” he said.
He further questioned the practicality of deploying highly specialised expertise across more than 800 public entities, noting that value-for-money assessments typically require external experts with advanced technical skills and access to industry data.
The former official highlighted the role of the Ghana Electronic Procurement System (GHANEPS) as a more effective tool for improving transparency and efficiency, stressing the need for investment and maintenance.
“If we truly want value for money, we should look at existing systems and enhance them,” he said.
On single-source procurement, Prempeh said the method itself is not inherently problematic but is often misapplied, leading to inefficiencies and inflated costs.
He added that political and commercial pressures on procurement processes are inevitable, but can be mitigated through stronger systems and digitalisation.
“We need to design systems… that make it difficult for people to manipulate the process,” he said.
Prempeh concluded that the effectiveness of the new law will ultimately depend on its results, but warned that without structural improvements, it may fail to deliver value.
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