Dome-Kwabenya MP Sarah Adwoa Safo has revealed that she drives cars produced by her father’s Kantanka Automobile Company Limited, a subsidiary of the Kantanka Group of Companies.

Speaking during her vetting by the Appointments Committee of parliament as Minister-designate of Public Procurement on Monday, 27 March, the Deputy Majority Leader said: “I am driving daddy’s car and I must tell you that the pick-ups are already there – there has been the first model, the second model, and the third model – and to also inform this honourable house that I just do not have a car of my dad's; my children use my dad’s cars for school, my constituency has a Kantanka pickup that my organiser uses, and I also have my personal one. Daddy is pampering me small so he has given me three.”

Meanwhile, she has said the government of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo will engage in sole-sourcing in the award of contracts but will only do so under strict conditions.

According to her, this government will ensure absolute transparency, fairness and value for money in the award of contracts, especially in cases that sole-sourcing is used.

“I will want to reiterate what has already been stated by His Excellency the President on our government’s position on procurement: in ensuring that there is transparency, fairness, non-discrimination, value for money and, to a very large extent, integrity in the procurement processes and the only way that we can best champion this cause is through open competitive tender.

“So we believe that open competitive tendering is the way to go: open up the tendering process for as many that qualify or meet the specifications for the contract for which they want to bid for,” she said.

However, she added: “Sole-sourcing is permitted under the Act, Act 663, as amended by Act 914. It is a method that is acceptable under the Act and it is lawful but it is an exception to the rule rather than the general rule, if the condition precedent set out in the Act and the guidelines for sole-sourcing as developed by the PPA are met. And so we will only advise that those conditions are satisfied.

“Sole-sourcing is a method that is justified under the law provided the conditions precedent exist,” the Deputy Majority Leader said, adding: “We are able to satisfy [them]. We would [engage in sole-sourcing] where necessary if the conditions are met.”