Ghana’s 5G: What’s the track record of a company formed a week before deal approval? — Manasseh

Ghana's newly awarded contract to build a shared 5G network is facing mounting controversy, according to investigations by renown journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni.

In a social media post on Thursday, May 30, Manasseh Azure raised a number of questions about the alleged lack of transparency and vetting involved in awarding the sole contract.

"Why is it being handed to one company without an auction? Why were different companies not allowed to bid for the contract?" he questioned.

The Fourth Estate editor-in-chief also noted that the company given the contract, known as the Next-Gen Infrastructure Company (NGIC), was incorporated "less than a week before the president approved the deal."

"What is the track record of a company that was formed less than a week before the president approved the deal?" Manasseh asked.

The $145 million contract will see NGIC build a nationwide wholesale 5G network on behalf of the Ghanaian government.

Meanwhile, industry experts, according to Manasseh, have flagged that such network infrastructure deals could be worth "hundreds of millions of dollars."

Manasseh stressed the lack of transparency in the process, noting important outstanding questions remain around "how this company and Smart Infraco relate."

Smart Infraco is an infrastructure company who have Smart Infraco partnered with the National Information Technology Agency (NITA) to ensure effective maintenance and commercialisation of the nation’s fibre cable in the Eastern corridor.