Ghana is “deeply steeped in corruption” and “sinking”, former First Lady Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings has said.

The flagbearer of the National Democratic Party (NDP) has, therefore, admonished politicians to allow the media to expose the festering corruption in officialdom, such as the sole-sourcing of contracts, rather than bribing them to remain silent.

Speaking on Radio Ghana on the night of Tuesday May 17, the wife of former President Jerry John Rawlings, founder of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC), said: “If the media in general does not see anything wrong with what is happening in this country, where we are deeply steeped in corruption and the country seems to be sinking, and yet not much is being said, we ask ourselves: ‘What is happening?’”

“…We should … stop bribing everybody for them to keep quiet about issues that are happening. We are supposed to have a vibrant media,” she insisted.

Mrs Rawlings said: “… They should stop the sole-sourcing for projects. That will cut back on governmental corruption to a large extent.”

The former First Lady is not the first person to raise concerns over the preference for sole-sourcing in the award of contracts by government officials.

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) also raised similar concerns not too long ago, arguing that sole-sourcing was the root cause of corruption in the country.

According to the Chairman of the PAC, Kwaku Agyemang Manu, companies contracted through sole-sourcing to make procurement under public private partnerships had been those indicted for various corrupt acts.

A number of public institutions, including the Ghana Youth Employment and Entrepreneurial Development Agency (GYEEDA) and the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA) have been hit with corruption scandals. In both cases, monies were paid to a number of companies who were awarded these contracts through sole-sourcing for no work done.