Gov’t to probe Sir Adjaye's multiple contracts allegations

The Minister of State in charge of Public Procurement, Adwoa Safo has said concerns raised by a consortium of Ghanaian architects against projects awarded to UK-based Ghanaian Architect, Sir David Adjaye will be investigated.

Describing the Architects complaints as a step in the right direction, the Dome Kwabenya MP said once the issue has been brought to government’s attention steps will be taken to investigate the veracity of the claims made.

“Once the petition has come, I am sure the president will engage my office on those matters. We will engage the Association of Architects, interrogate and investigate those allegations and make proper recommendations,” he told Joy News’ Joseph Ackah-Blay in an interview.

The comment comes after the President of the Ghana Institute of Architect has urged the government to adhere to the law in the award of key projects to Architects.

Speaking Wednesday on MultiTV’s current affairs programme, PM Express, Nii Dadey said local Architects feel sidelined by the government, mainly, and other private institutions for iconic projects awarded to persons or groups who are not recognised by the Institute -- in contravention of the law.

That caution came after Design Associates Development Consortium, a local architectural firm, cited legal breaches in the award of multiple projects to Sir David Adjaye, renowned for his iconic design ideas.

Sir Adjaye was awarded the National Cathedral contract 

In the petition to the president, Coordinator of the Consortium, Dr Ekow Sam, said in the petition that some 12 projects were awarded Sir Adjaye without regards to Ghana’s procurement laws (Act 663).

Dr Sam also claimed in the petition that the award of the National Cathedral and New Parliamentary Chamber, among others, were awarded to Sir Adjaye’s Adjaye and Associates without adhering to principles of transparency, fairness, equity and laws governing the procurement of professional services by statutory companies and bodies.

Ms Safo who is also Deputy Majority Leader said government will investigate the matter to determine if indeed Sir Adjaye won those contracts fairly.

“We will interrogate the processes and where the necessary steps need to be taken to ensure that the right things are done, we will do so.”

Moving forward, however, Ms Safo wants the proper institutions and structures created to monitor and supervise the activities of the State’s Procurement Agencies.

“We ought to have procurement as a fully established ministry and move all those procurement agencies under that ministry and that way you will have a minister supervising and monitoring and making sure things are done right.

“Finance (under which the state procurement agencies are) is huge and has many tentacles and the world is moving towards moving procurement as a little subset of finance into ta fully grown matter because whether you protect the public purse, whether there is corruption or whether you fail as a government centres around procurement so we ought to have a look at it,” she added.

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