The minority in Parliament has criticised the government over what it describes as a lack of transparency in the Big Push project, urging the full disclosure of details surrounding contracts awarded under the initiative.
This call follows allegations raised by The Fourth Estate, which questioned procurement practices under the programme, including concerns about possible cost inflation and the extensive use of sole-sourced contracts.
Addressing a press conference in Parliament on March 24, the Ranking Member on the Roads and Transportation Committee and MP for Akim Swedru, Kennedy Osei Nyarko, said the minority is not opposed to the policy but has concerns about how the initial projects were awarded.
“We on the minority side are not opposed to the policy itself. Our concern, however, lies with the process through which the initial 50 projects have been awarded, particularly given that these projects are expected to cost the taxpayers approximately 50 billion, as indicated by the President in his 2026 SONA,” he said.
He called on the government to make the contract details public without delay. “In this regard, we strongly believe that the government must, as a matter of urgency, publish the full details of this contract.”
He further indicated that key information should include contractors’ identities, scope of work, and unit costs.
“This will include the identities of the contractors, the specific scope of work assigned to each contractor, and the unit cost per kilometre. This will give Ghanaians the opportunity to independently assess the policy and promote transparency in infrastructure delivery.”
Mr Osei Nyarko also pointed out that the current administration had previously taken a strong stance on similar issues while in opposition.
He added that the public expects higher standards of transparency from the government. “There is therefore a legitimate expectation that once in government, higher standards of policy transparency will be upheld. Unfortunately, the current approach appears to mirror the very practice that was previously criticised. This does not bode well for governance and undermines public trust.”
He stressed that openness is critical for accountability. “Transparency remains a cornerstone of good governance where processes are open, information is accessible, public confidence is strengthened, and unnecessary suspicion is avoided.”
He warned that secrecy in governance could undermine trust. “However, when Ghanaians perceive that decisions have been taken in secrecy and things were done quietly out of public eyes, it inevitably breeds suspicion and, even in situations where no wrongdoing may have occurred, because of the lack of openness, creates room for doubt and speculation.”
The Ranking Member also raised concerns about the government’s commitment to railway development, alleging a departure from previous efforts.
“I am deeply concerned about what appears to be a significant decline in government commitment to the railway development sector. In 2025, no budgetary allocation was made for railway development; in 2026, only 73 million has been budgeted for railway development across the entire country, particularly given the scale of investment already made in the sector,” he said.
He cited concerns over the Mpakadan railway line and associated infrastructure. “In the case of the Tema-Mpakadan railway line, these critical supporting facilities, particularly those at Mpakadan and within the Savannah region, have effectively been abandoned by the current government.”
He further expressed concern over the state of railway infrastructure, noting that significant investments have already been made in the sector.
“This is especially troubling considering that over $1.1 billion has already been invested in the railway sector between 2017 and 2024. Without the completion of this complementary facility, the full operation and economic value of this investment cannot be realised, thereby putting a substantial portion of this investment at risk of underutilisation,” he stated.
He also referenced the termination of the Edum Kasi railway line project. He noted that “the termination of the Edum Kasi railway line project by the Ghana Railway Development Authority raises further concerns.” He explained that “the project, which spans approximately six kilometres, was designed as a strategic urban transport intervention within Edum and Kasi in Kumasi.”
He added that “the project was intended to ease congestion and road traffic within the Edum and Kasi area, facilitate the movement of both goods and passengers by rail, thereby easing pressure on the heavily congested road network within the Kumasi metropolis.”
Mr. Osei-Nyarkoh said the decision undermines broader transport development efforts, describing the outright termination of the project as a missed opportunity to deploy multimodal transport solutions to address urban traffic challenges.
He added that the abandonment of complementary infrastructure, delays in the operationalisation of completed lines, and the termination of strategic urban rail projects collectively undermine the significant investment already made and slow progress on Ghana’s long-term railway transportation modernisation agenda.
Meanwhile, the Chief Executive Officer of Ghana GoldBod, Sammy Gyamfi, has defended the government’s decision to adopt sole-sourcing for key road projects under the Big Push initiative, insisting that the process has been lawful and transparent.
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Source: www.myjoyonline.com