The Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod) has strongly refuted allegations made by communicators and surrogates of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) regarding the procurement of laptops and the award of a GHS11 million office renovation contract.
In a statement issued by its Media Relations Officer, Prince Kwame Minkah, the Board said claims that it purchased laptops at inflated prices were false and had already been disproved with verifiable evidence.
According to the statement, the GoldBod presented “incontrovertible evidence” from the supplier’s website showing that the laptops were actually purchased at prices slightly lower than the open market rate for the specified models.
“Evidence from the supplier’s website shows clearly that the laptops were bought at a price slightly cheaper than the open market price and within competitive market rates,” Mr. Minkah stated, adding that critics appear to have abandoned the allegation after the facts were presented.
The Board also dismissed claims that it awarded a GHS11 million contract for office renovation through sole sourcing to a company allegedly linked to Stan Dogbe, the Deputy Chief of Staff in charge of Operations.
Mr. Minkah explained that the contract was awarded through restricted tendering, a legally recognized procurement method, and not sole sourcing as alleged.
“The contract was not awarded through sole sourcing but through restricted tendering approved by the **Public Procurement Authority (PPA),” he clarified.
He said the restricted tendering approach was justified due to the urgency of renovating offices at the old Diamond House building, which previously housed the defunct Precious Minerals Marketing Company (PMMC), to accommodate newly recruited staff of the GoldBod.
“The restricted tendering method was adopted to expedite the renovation works because newly recruited staff had no offices to operate from. A full competitive tendering process was clearly not practicable under the circumstances,” he explained.
The statement further criticized attempts by critics to equate restricted tendering with sole sourcing, describing the claim as misleading.
“A simple reading of sections 38 and 40 of the Public Procurement Act clearly shows that restricted tendering and sole sourcing are two distinct procurement methods,” Mr. Minkah said.
He explained that while sole sourcing involves no competitive bidding, restricted tendering allows a limited number of qualified contractors—usually between three and six—to submit bids.
The GoldBod also addressed concerns about the eligibility of the company that won the contract, Correca Ghana Limited, which critics alleged had submitted an invalid Works and Housing Certificate.
Mr. Minkah clarified that although the tender letter was dated July 1, 2025, the actual submission was made on July 2, 2025, by which time the company had obtained a valid Works and Housing Certificate.
“It is an incontrovertible fact that Correca Ghana Limited submitted its tender on July 2, 2025 together with a valid Works and Housing certificate,” he stated.
On claims of conflict of interest involving Mr. Dogbe, the Board said the contractor was not owned directly by the Deputy Chief of Staff. Instead, Correca Ghana Limited is jointly owned by Eclaire Ghana Limited and Woezor Holdings Ghana Limited, companies established years before Mr. Dogbe assumed his current role.
The statement emphasized that Mr. Dogbe had no involvement in the procurement process or tender evaluation.
“Checks with the procurement unit of the GoldBod will show that Mr. Stan Dogbe was not involved in any way in the procurement or evaluation process leading to the award of the contract,” Mr. Minkah noted.
He added that Mr. Dogbe’s position as Deputy Chief of Staff does not give him authority over procurement decisions within state-owned enterprises.
The GoldBod reaffirmed its commitment to transparency and accountability in all its operations.
“The Ghana Gold Board holds dear the principles of transparency and accountability and will continue to uphold these tenets by publishing all contracts it enters into. We have nothing to hide,” the statement concluded.
Source: Ghana/otecfmghana.com/John Antwi Boasiako
