Western Region: CoST, Sekondi – Takoradi ITI Survey Report Reveals Low Level Of Transparency in Public Procuring Entities.

An Infrastructure Transparency Index, ITI Survey conducted by the CoST, Sekondi – Takoradi has disclosed a low level of transparency in the public Procuring Entities in the Western Region. The Infrastructure Transparency Index, ITI is an evaluation instrument used to measure levels of infrastructure transparency and the quality of the associated processes that improve participation and accountability among procuring entities in the country.

The Infrastructure Transparency Index score was determined by four dimensions which is, enabling environment, capacities and processes, citizen participation, and information disclosure.

The Survey sampled 30 public infrastructure projects from 15 participating procuring entities in the Western Region. Notably amongst them are the various Assemblies like Sekondi – Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly, Effia Kwesimintism Metropolitan Assembly, Ahanta West Municipal Assembly, Wassa Amenfi West Municipal Assembly, Nzema East Municipal Assembly, Tarkwa – Nsuaem Municipal Assembly, Prestea Huni Valley Municipal Assembly. Wassa East District Assembly, Shama District Assembly, Mpohor, Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority, Coastal Development Authority, Ghana Water Company Limited, Ghana National Petroleum Corporation and Regional Urban Roads.     

The reports indicated that all 15 procuring entities obtained scores less than 50 percentage which implied a low level of transparency characterized by the public infrastructure delivery. However, the highest ITI score was 46.83 gained by Ghana Water Company Limited whilst the lowest ITI score was 2.08 and 0.74 gained by Wassa Amenfi West Municipal Assembly and Nzema East  Municipal Assembly respectively.

The report also observed that transparency is blare amongst the procuring entities as disconnection between enabling environment and transparency  

Addressing the media at the dissemination of Survey report in Takoradi, Dr. Matthew Kwaw Somiah, a Senior Lecturer of the Faculty of Built and Natural Environment of the Takoradi Technical University, TTU denotes that” there is a disjoint between regulatory framework and the practice of Infrastructure Transparency which indicates that the existing regulatory frameworks are not guaranteeing proactive information disclosure relating to infrastructure projects.”

It was, however, noted that the average project information disclosure score exhibited by the Procuring Entities on a project basis was less than 15 percentage points. The highest average was 12.85 percentage points whereas the lowest recorded score was 0.00. Thus, average project disclosure scores revealed that access to data information items on projects and contracts were not encouraging and does not engender an atmosphere of transparency.

The report recommended that government should enhance operationalize of enabling legislation that improves proactive disclosure of information related to infrastructure projects by Procuring Entities through capacity support.