The Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) awarded a $3.6 million contract for the broadcasting of the 13th African Games without obtaining the mandatory prior approval from the Public Procurement Authority (PPA), with ratification only secured eight months after the Games had ended, according to the Comprehensive Audit Report on the event.
The report found that the procurement process breached the principles of prior approval under the Public Procurement Act and has recommended sanctions over the procurement irregularities.
According to the audit, the Ministry of Youth and Sports (MOYS) and GBC entered into a $3.6 million agreement under which GBC was to manage, produce and broadcast the Games, while the Ministry bore the incidental broadcasting costs.
The report disclosed that the Ministry and the Local Organising Committee (LOC) had expected to generate about $5 million from the sale of broadcasting rights for the Games.
However, auditors found that GBC proceeded with the procurement without first obtaining approval from the PPA, contrary to procurement regulations.
GBC subsequently claimed in a letter dated August 12, 2024, that it had requested the PPA to ratify the procurement process.
However, an audit review of the correspondence revealed that the PPA officially received the request only on September 2, 2024—about five months after the African Games had ended and after all the contracts had been fully executed.
The report further stated that the PPA eventually granted approval for the use of single-source procurement on December 19, 2024, approximately eight months after the Games, raising questions about compliance with the Public Procurement Act, which requires prior approval before such procurements are undertaken.
The auditors also questioned the circumstances surrounding the delayed application for ratification.
According to the report, although GBC’s request was dated August 12, 2024, records showed it was formally received by the PPA only after a sitting of Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC), during which concerns were raised over payments made to GBC.
The audit therefore suggested that the move to obtain PPA ratification appeared to have been prompted or accelerated by parliamentary scrutiny rather than being a proactive effort to comply with procurement laws.
The report noted that there was no evidence explaining why GBC failed to seek PPA approval immediately after signing its contract with the Ministry of Youth and Sports on February 1, 2024, or before broadcasting services commenced on March 8, 2024.
Instead, the request was delayed until September 2, 2024, after the contracts had already been fully implemented.
Auditors further criticised the justification presented by GBC for the sole-source procurement.
They found that the request relied mainly on time constraints without sufficient documentary evidence to demonstrate exclusivity, technical uniqueness, exceptional urgency or the absence of alternative service providers.
The report also found no evidence that GBC conducted market surveys, price benchmarking or any value-for-money assessment before engaging the service providers.
The auditors concluded that these shortcomings undermined transparency and accountability in the procurement process and exposed the broadcasting arrangements for the African Games to significant procurement and financial management risks.
