Sole-Sourcing for Big Push: The Gulf Between Promise and Delivery

Right at the start of his second term in office, President John Mahama pledged to eliminate sole-sourcing, suggesting a push for new legislation to end the practice of awarding public contracts without competitive bidding. It was a bold promise, framed as part of a broader effort to improve transparency and accountability in government procurement.But an investigation by The Fourth Estate suggests a gap between policy and practice. Looking closely at contracts under the government’s flagship Big Push infrastructure programme, reporters found that more than half were awarded through sole-sourcing — the very approach the President has vowed to abolish.The findings have already drawn attention at the highest level and sparked fresh questions about how major public projects are being executed.In this episode, The Fourth Estate editor Kwaku Krobea Asante breaks down the investigation, explains how the contracts were tracked, and reflects on what this means for procurement reform in Ghana.