MEPs say they are actively involved in the procurement process | Parliament

Mr. Joseph Osei-Owusu, First Vice-President, encouraged members to show a keen interest in local government procurement processes to improve legislative oversight.

MPs, he said, must sit on the Procurement Committees of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDA) to guide them on the law.

He was speaking at the opening of a two-day workshop for the heads of Parliament and some parliamentary committees in Koforidua.

The program was organized by the Ministry of Public Procurement and focused on Parliament's role in protecting public funds.

"Improving parliamentary control through public procurement" was the theme chosen for the workshop.

Mr. Osei-Owusu reminded members to make sure that they were performing their statutory roles more effectively and that their role should not be limited to what was badigned to them in the House. .

He identified the biggest challenge facing the country's public procurement practices: the problem of dishonesty – the lack of integrity.

"As a people, we should be bold and admit that we are dishonest, we do not like to follow the rules."

He added that it was time for everyone to understand that things had changed and that people would be forced to be more open and accountable to the public.

"For those of us working in the public sector, we need to understand that the days we shared information that we wanted the public to know are over.

"People would find information wherever it is, they would give the interpretation they want," he added.

Ms. Sarah Adwoa Sarfo, Minister of State for Public Procurement, said the goal was to strengthen the capacity of parliament to enable it to exercise its oversight role in fighting corruption in the country. the field of public procurement.

The bulk of public resources – about 50 to 70 percent of its spending – goes to government procurement.

The workshop, she noted, had come at an opportune time to strengthen parliament's oversight functions, oversee the work of the executive, review lending agreements and ensure efficiency. public procurement.

She stressed the importance of entities' tender committees, saying that they were aimed at ensuring compliance with the laws on public procurement, preventing corruption, collusion and fraud.

The minister has called for cooperation between her department, the Crown and the Special Prosecutor's Office to ensure that the recommendations of the public accounts committee, the Auditor General's report and the findings regarding people who break the law are punished.

Mr. Haruna Iddrisu, leader of the minority, referred to a report from the World Bank, which shows that the adoption of the Public Procurement Act 2003 (Law No. 663) has not significantly contributed to reduce corruption in Ghana.

He said that it was therefore necessary to do more in terms of reforms, adding that Parliament was responsible for exercising control to help protect public finances.