GHANA’S transition to an electronic procurement system can reduce corruption in public contracting by up to 90 per cent, Director of Policy, Planning and Research at the Public Procurement Authority (PPA), Mr Clement Owusu Fordjour has announced.

According to him, the Ghana Electronic Procurement System (GHANEPS) addresses several weaknesses associated with the manual, paper-based process and reduces human interface.

He gave the assurance during a specialised training session organised for staff of the Ministry of Defence and the Ghana Armed Forces aimed at strengthening compliance and improving the use of GHANEPS.

Speaking at the event in Accra, Mr Owusu-Fordjour said the electronic system was introduced to tackle persistent challenges associated with manual procurement processes, including limited transparency, high administrative costs, and excessive human interface.

“With GHANEPS, transparency is 100 per cent assured. It will reduce corruption by about 90 per cent because of the limitation of human interface,” he said.

He, however, clarified that while the system would significantly minimise corrupt practices, it could not completely eliminate them. “We cannot guarantee that it will be corruption-free, but it will reduce it substantially,” he added.

Mr Fordjour noted that repeated audit findings of procurement breaches across public institutions highlight the urgent need for capacity building.

“Almost after every audit, you find people violating the laws. It is about capacity development. When you have qualified people who are trained and equipped to implement the law, you reduce these challenges,” he said.

He explained that the PPA regularly advertises training programmes for procurement entities and also responds to direct requests from institutions seeking tailored support.

The Defence Ministry formally invited the Authority to conduct the session, particularly for new members of its entity tender committees and in preparation for revised procurement thresholds.

The shift to GHANEPS forms part of broader reforms to digitise public procurement and phase out manual processes.

Mr Fordjour acknowledged challenges with implementation, including intermittent internet connectivity and the need to retrain staff accustomed to paper-based systems.

Also addressing participants, Director of Procurement at the Defence Ministry, Mr Theophilus Okine, said the ministry had already begun using GHANEPS but required further training to address operational gaps.

“The processes we have been undertaking are now transported onto the system,” he said. “Adverts are placed online, bids are submitted electronically and tender openings are conducted online. There is no direct contact.”

Mr Okine described the elimination of physical interaction between procurement officers and tenderers as a major step towards reducing opportunities for undue influence.

He admitted that slow internet connectivity and difficulties faced by some suppliers in navigating the platform remain challenges. “We need to guide them to be able to submit successfully and also understand how to correct mistakes on the system,” he added.