Investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni has raised concerns regarding the bidding process for the Next Gen Infraco Ltd. contract by the Communications Ministry to implement Ghana’s 5G infrastructure.
The contract was awarded to Next Gen Infraco Ltd., a company formed just a week before President Akufo-Addo’s executive approval on August 22, 2023, without going through an auction.
This has led to doubts about the transparency and fairness of the process. The Government’s objective with the 5G infrastructure project is to provide affordable 5G mobile broadband services across Ghana through a shared infrastructure involving seven industry players.
These partners, which include Ascend Digital, K-NET, Radisys, Nokia, Tech Mahindra, AT Ghana, and Telecel Ghana, have established the Next-Gen Infrastructure Company (NGIC), which has been granted a 5G license.
Mr. Awuni expressed his concerns about Next Gen Infraco Ltd.’s limited track record, as the company was formed shortly before receiving the president’s approval.
He also questioned why other companies were not given the opportunity to bid for the contract, which experts estimate to be worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
Additionally, the journalist raised doubts about the relationship between Next Gen Infraco Ltd. and Smart Infraco, another company involved in the project.
“The company that has been handed the deal was formed less than a week before the president’s approval. The 5G technology, according to industry experts can be worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Why is it being handed to one company without an auction? Why were different companies not allowed to bid for the contract?”
“What is the track record of a company that was formed less than a week before the president approved the deal? What is the relationship between this company and Smart Infraco?”
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