Private legal practitioner, Martin Luther Kpebu has said government’s award of the 5G contract to NextGen InfraCo was “cooked”.
According to the lawyer, a week old company cannot be awarded such a contract worth millions of dollars without any expertise.
He explains the company, going through the necessary procedures, might have not even finished setting up.
Speaking on the KeyPoints Saturday, June 01, 2024, the legal practitioner indicated the announcement of the contract was evident of the “mother serpent of corruption at work.”
“That’s the key point. You just look at it, one week old, so what is this industry experience that this week-old baby have? That’s the key thing, don’t go beyond that. But within a week you barely had even finished setting up. Then it tells you that this deal was cooked. Then you see that the mother serpent of corruption is at it again,” he told host, Alfred Ocansey.
Meanwhile, Communications and Digitalisation Minister, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful has earlier confirmed that NextGen InfraCo, the company awarded the 5G network rollout contract, was established just one week before receiving the contract.
Madam Owusu-Ekuful explained that the company was specifically created for this purpose because there was no existing neutral infrastructure company capable of handling the rollout at that time.
At a press briefing on the 5G rollout Thursday, May 30, 2024, she elaborated on the government’s rationale for the decision.
She noted that auctioning the contract was not pursued due to previous experiences and setbacks that had hindered the rollout of the country’s 4G technology. Since its introduction in 2015, 4G has only achieved a 15% nationwide penetration.
The Minister highlighted that the challenges faced during the 4G rollout influenced the government’s approach to the 5G deployment.
According to her, by directly awarding the contract to a newly created entity, the government aims to avoid similar obstacles and expedite the implementation process for the 5G network.
The Ablekuma West Member of Parliament provided insight into the government’s strategic decision-making process, emphasising the need for a dedicated infrastructure company to ensure the successful and timely rollout of 5G technology across the country.
“This is a special purpose vehicle and once the government took the decision that we will use a neutral infrastructure company to deliver this service, there is no existing neutral infrastructure company that can deliver it at the moment.”
“So, it had to be specifically formed for the purpose of delivering this service based on the strategic policies and decisions of the government, and it is borne out of our experiences and that is why we chose not to auction it,”she stated.
This confirmation coincides with concerns raised by investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni regarding the contract awarded to NextGen InfraCo Ltd.
In a Facebook post on Thursday, May 30, Mr. Awuni pointed out that the company was incorporated barely a week before President Akufo-Addo granted executive approval for the deal.
According to him, the contract, which experts estimate to be worth hundreds of millions of dollars, was awarded through sole sourcing, without giving other companies the opportunity to bid for the project.
He maintained that the lack of competitive bidding raises suspicions about the transparency and fairness of the procurement process.
