The writer is calling for transparency over Amandi STL project allocations
Heads are rolling and tongues wagging lyrical as a seeming monopoly keeps growing in the Ghanaian public business space.
Amandi STL, one of the most popular foreign-owned company operating in Ghana appears to be enjoying monopoly over business opportunities under the new government of the NDC.
Ironically, this company that grabbed some of the juicy but controversial projects under the erstwhile NPP regime has spread its tentacles so wide enough to be grabbing some projects under the current regime.
The issue really is not about getting the contracts. Rather it is about delivering results and offering the state value for money.
How can a company that barely completes prestigious on time according to schedule continue to be ahead of several other companies that have proven competence in the construction industry?
Mention can be made of the $200 million dollars Effia-Nkwanta government hospital project and the $500 million dollars Western Line Project.
In spite of the significance of these two projects and high sums involved, they are at a standstill and remain in limbo as far as their completion is concerned.
Notwithstanding this record, Amandi STL has been handed major construction works at Kotoka International Airport now Accra International Airport.
The control tower, runway expansion, offices and rehabilitation of the terminal two are all being undertaken by this company.
At a time that the NDC government bemoaned the way and manner in which the previous administration went about such crucial procurements, it is unimaginable how Amandi keeps popping up for consideration under this government.
It is inexplicable how this same controversy-ridden company is being selected and awarded projects such as the sea defence project. Is it the only company with the capacity and know-how to undertake such projects?
The NDC government ought to be very wary of companies through which the NPP allegedly milked and syphoned the resources of the state.
Due diligence needs to be done on which company can be trusted to help the government to achieve the kind of deliverables it wants to achieve for the nation.
Some companies/individuals register new companies or subsidiaries in an attempt to conceal their true identity and to pull wool over eyes of Ghanaians.
With all intents and purposes, Amandi must not continue to enjoy the kind of leverage and near-monopoly it is enjoying now after it failed to prove it’s competence and capacity with very high-value projects.
This is not politics. It’s nationalism.
