NDC Fingers Bawumia’s Brother In GHS52.2M Sunyani Airport Contract

The National Communications Officer of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Sammy Gyamfi, has accused the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) of awarding highly profitable and overpriced contracts to the brother of Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia through sole-sourcing, despite the party’s previous commitment to curbing this practice.

In a recent address during the NDC’s “Moment of Truth” series held in Accra, Mr. Gyamfi alleged that the NPP has been using sole-sourcing—a procurement method that bypasses competitive bidding—to award multiple contracts to Resource Access Limited, a company reportedly owned by Dr. Bawumia’s brother, Abraham Bawumia. He claimed that these contracts were not only awarded without competition but were also significantly overpriced, leading to substantial financial gain for the Vice President’s brother.

Mr. Gyamfi provided specific examples to support his allegations, highlighting the renovation of the phase two Sunyani airport project. He claimed that the contract for this project, awarded to Abraham Bawumia’s company, was valued at GH₵52.2 million, a figure he argued was vastly inflated compared to the cost of similar projects under the previous NDC administration. He noted that the original renovation of the Sunyani airport during former President John Dramani Mahama’s tenure cost only GH₵100,000—a stark contrast to the current expenditure.

Despite the significant funds allocated to the project, Mr. Gyamfi observed that the frontage of the Sunyani airport remains in poor condition, raising further questions about the justification for the high cost. He used this example to underscore what he described as the hypocrisy of the NPP, particularly Dr. Bawumia, who had previously criticized sole-sourcing while in opposition.

“This is a man in opposition who preached against sole-sourcing only to come to power and become an enabler of sole-sourcing, leading to his brother and wife benefiting heavily,” Gyamfi stated, pointing to what he sees as a betrayal of the principles Dr. Bawumia once espoused.

According to Mr. Gyamfi, the total value of contracts awarded to Resource Access Limited through sole-sourcing amounts to GHS 218 million, spread across five contracts, all of which he alleges were priced excessively.

These revelations add to the growing scrutiny of the NPP’s procurement practices and Dr. Bawumia’s role within the party as it gears up for the 2024 general elections. The accusations from the NDC are likely to intensify the political debate around transparency, accountability, and the integrity of government contracting under the current administration.

Source: GhanaFeed.Com