[ 2017-10-24 ]

A deputy Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Sagre Bambangi

GHc9m chemicals deal sole-sourced ‘without approval’ – Minority
The legality of the Ministry of Food and
Agriculture’s decision to purchase GHc9 million
worth of chemicals to combat armyworms on a
sole-source basis, allegedly without the Public
Procurement Authority’s approval, was questioned
on the floor of Parliament on Tuesday.

Responding to questions on the matter, a Deputy
Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Sagre Bambangi,
disclosed that the Ministry only roped in the
Public Procurement Authority after the GHc 9
million arrangements for the insecticides had been
made.

“The Ministry having secured the above facility,
consequently requested for a retrospective
approval from the Public Procurement Authority,
for an emergency supply of insecticides to control
the fall armyworms.”

“The Public Procurement Authority granted the
request of the use of Single Source Procurement
Method, to engage various supplies to undertake
the procurement of insecticide in accordance with
section 40(1) (c) of the Public Procurement Act,
2003 (Act 663),” Dr. Bambangi said.

The section in question, however says nothing
about retrospective approval as it notes that:
“a procurement entity may engage in single
source procurement under section 41 with the
approval of the board… where owing to a
catastrophic event, there is an urgent need for
the goods, works or technical services, making it
impractical to use any other methods of
procurement because of the time involved in using
those methods.”

The Ashaiman Member of Parliament, Ernest Norgbey,
highlighted this fact, as he questioned the
legality of the retrospective approval.
But the Deputy Minister responded by saying that
“if it were wrong, the Public Procurement
Authority would not have done same.”

The Ministry of Agriculture collaborated with UN
Food an Agriculture Organisation and Centre for
Agriculture Biosciences International, for the
recommended insecticides registered in Ghana, and
also registered for the control of fall armyworms
in Brazil, USA and other African countries.

After the recommendations, the Minister invited
companies which had registered with the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and
appealed to them to supply on credit.

In all, 12 companies were assembled by the
government, but not in a competitive bidding
process, to supply the insecticides to fight the
armyworms, due to the urgent nature of the
situation.

The NPP administration  has repeatedly criticized
the previous administration for engaging in all
forms of sole-sourcing contracts which did not
ensure value for money, and in most cases breached
Public Procurement regulations.

They have thus pledged to ensure that such
reckless sole-sourcing contracts are not the order
of the day.

Source - citifmonline.com

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