- Michael Kosi Dedey calls for live monitoring of procurement and projects
- Criticizes delayed government response to corruption
- He suggests daily audits to deter financial mismanagement
Policy analyst and engineer Michael Kosi Dedey has emphasized the importance of real-time monitoring of government procurement and projects as a key strategy in Ghana’s fight against corruption.
Speaking during a panel discussion on Channel One TV’s Breakfast Daily on Wednesday, June 25, Dedey pointed out that corruption in Ghana often thrives due to a lack of continuous oversight during procurement processes. He called on authorities to adopt live, day-to-day tracking systems for public contracts and project implementation.
“We need a thorough system for monitoring ongoing projects and procurement. That, in my view, is another effective way to combat corruption,” he said.
Dedey criticized the government’s tendency to react only after financial losses have occurred, rather than taking steps to prevent corruption before it happens. He stressed that waiting for scandals to break before responding is inefficient and harmful to the country’s progress.
“The approach where we respond after the damage is done—after the horses have bolted—is not helping us. We must scrutinize current procurement activities and intervene early, instead of waiting until funds are misappropriated,” he warned.
He argued that Ghana’s anti-corruption efforts need to transition from reactive investigations to proactive prevention, insisting that real-time auditing tools could play a critical role in reducing procurement-related misconduct.
“For me, tackling corruption isn’t just about recovering lost funds—it’s also about closely monitoring what’s happening right now. We need daily oversight of procurement processes to take timely action,” Dedey reiterated.
His remarks follow the recent arrest of three former Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) officials, including ex-Commissioner-General Rev. Dr. Ammishaddai Owusu-Amoah, in connection with suspected corruption involving the Strategic Mobilisation Limited (SML) contract. The arrests were carried out by the Office of the Special Prosecutor as part of an ongoing investigation into revenue assurance services.
