GPHA signs another $500m contract today

Richard Anamoo Again?

-Deal sole-sourced against advice of committee

Richard Anamoo is in the news once again for another bad reason, after promoting about 1,000 workers of the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority, and employing 400 others, just a day after Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo was declared the winner of the December 7 presidential election.

The Daily Statesman can state on authority that the GPHA boss, who is alleged to have committed the country to various 'dubious contracts', through which the nation is said to have lost an estimated GHC5 billion, is working with the board of GPHA to sign another contract worth about $500 million today.

Board Chairman of GHPA, Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, who is a Vice Chairman of the NDC, is expected to chair a meeting today that will see the $500million contract, sole-sourced to IBISTEK CRAWLEY, a Ghanaian-US company, signed, sealed and delivered, barring any last minute hitches.
The local company, IBISTEK, is run by one Eric Akrofi. The GPHA boss has a vested interest in this venture, the Daily Statesman can state on authority. The US counterpart is Crawley Maritime Corporation.
Meanwhile, some workers of the GPHA are cautioning the US Embassy to prevail upon US companies to be careful about signing of last-minute contracts with the outgoing Mahama-led NDC government.

The estimated $500 million worth of contract, which involves the construction and operation of a Container and Multi-purpose Terminal at the Takoradi Port, is being awarded through sole-sourcing, against the decision by the Public Private Partnership Approval Committee that the procurement must be done through competitive tender.

Insiders say the planned action by the GPHA board is illegal because of the decision by the Committee that the procurement must be done through competitive tender. The PPPAC is an inter-ministerial committee chaired by the Ministry of Finance, with the Ministry of Trade, Ministry of Transport and other entities as members.

A letter signed by Mona Helen K Quartey, a deputy Finance Minister, dated November 23, 2016, and addressed to the Minister of Transport, reads in part: "The Committee has granted you approval II in accordance with the National PPP Policy. You are therefore advised to proceed to the procurement stage of the process. Please note that the approval II granted is not the final approval for the Takoradi Port Expansion PPP Project – Integrated Terminal. In accordance to (sic) the the National Policy, Draft Procurement documents including Expression of Interest (EOI) are to be submitted to the Public Investment Division (PID) of this Ministry for review and approval."

The letter adds: "We trust you would take the necessary further action and adhere to the process as spelt out in the National PPP Policy."

The Daily Statesman can state on authority that the board of the GPHA is meeting today to sign this contract ahead of a date set for the advertising of the Expressing of Interest.

The one to take action on the letter from the deputy Finance Minister was Twumasi-Ankra Selby, Chief Director of the Transport Ministry, who is a member of the GPHA board. The ministry has the mandate to approve all decisions taken by the board. Mr Selby is the one who signed the dubious GHC3.6 million Smarttys bus branding deal, the 'Woyome port' and other shady deals at the Transport Ministry.
The letter was a reply to an earlier one from GPHA, signed by Komla Ofori, Project Engineer, seeking approval after conducting feasibility studies on the project.