The Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod) has rejected claims by communicators and surrogates of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) regarding alleged irregularities in the procurement of laptops and the award of a GHS11 million office renovation contract.
In a statement available to Metro TV, the Board said earlier allegations that it purchased laptops at inflated prices were false and had already been disproved with evidence.
According to GoldBod, the price at which the laptops were procured was “slightly cheaper than the open market price of the specified laptop and market-competitive.”
It added that those who made the claims appear to have “completely abandoned that lie.”
The Board also dismissed claims that it awarded a GHS11 million office renovation contract to a company linked to Deputy Chief of Staff (Operations), Stan Dogbe, through sole sourcing.
GoldBod explained that the contract was awarded through restricted tendering, a procurement method approved by the Public Procurement Authority (PPA).
“The GoldBod adduced incontrovertible documentary evidence to show that the said contract was NOT awarded through SOLE SOURCING but rather, RESTRICTED TENDERING, approved by the PPA,” the statement said.
According to the Board, the restricted tendering approach was adopted because newly recruited staff did not have office space to operate from at the former Precious Minerals Marketing Company (PMMC) building, also known as Diamond House.
“The restricted tendering method was adopted for the said procurement activity to ensure that the process for undertaking the urgent renovation works was expedited through restricted competition,” the statement explained.
GoldBod further rejected suggestions that restricted tendering is the same as sole sourcing, describing the argument as misleading.
“A key difference between the two methods of procurement is that whereas sole sourcing involves no tender and competition whatsoever, restricted tendering involves the invitation and submission of tenders and competition between multiple contractors or suppliers,” it said.
The Board also addressed claims that the company that won the contract, Correca Ghana Limited, failed to submit a valid Works and Housing Certificate as part of its tender documents.
It explained that although the tender letter was dated July 1, 2025, it was submitted on July 2, 2025 — the same day the company’s renewed certificate was issued.
“It’s an incontrovertible fact that Correca Ghana Limited’s tender was submitted to the GoldBod on 2nd July 2025 along with a valid Works and Housing certificate,” the statement noted.
Responding to allegations of conflict of interest, GoldBod stated that Correca Ghana Limited is not owned by Mr Dogbe personally.
It said the company, which was established in August 2017, is jointly owned by Eclaire Ghana Limited and Woezor Holdings Ghana Limited.
“Checks with Correca Ghana Limited will show that Mr. Stan Dogbe is no longer involved in the day-to-day running of either Correca Ghana Limited or Woezor Holdings Ghana Limited,” the statement said.
It further stressed that Mr Dogbe was not involved in the procurement or tender evaluation process.
“His position as Deputy Chief of Staff, Operations has no bearing with procurement processes of SoEs. As such, he could not and did not in any shape or form influence the procurement process,” the statement added.
GoldBod maintained that no procurement law or conflict-of-interest rule was breached in the award of the contract.
“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.
Metrotvonline
