Manasseh Azure Awuni, an investigative journalist, has questioned the bidding process for the contract that the Communications Ministry gave to Next Gen Infraco Ltd. in order to implement 5G infrastructure in Ghana.
The business was established barely one week prior to President Akufo-Addo’s executive clearance on August 22, 2023, and it was given the deal without holding an auction, raising concerns about fairness and transparency.
As per the government, the objective of the 5G infrastructure initiative is to provide reasonably priced 5G mobile broadband services throughout Ghana by means of a shared infrastructure with seven industry participants.
The Next-Gen Infrastructure Company (NGIC), comprising Ascend Digital, K-NET, Radisys, Nokia, Tech Mahindra, AT Ghana, and Telecel Ghana, was founded by the partners and has been granted a 5G license.
In a Facebook post, Mr. Awuni questioned the history of Next Gen Infraco Ltd., a business that was founded a few days before to the president’s permission.
In addition, he questioned why other businesses were not permitted to submit bids for the deal, which may be worth hundreds of millions of dollars, according to industry experts.
The relationship between Next Gen Infraco Ltd. and Smart Infraco, another company participating in the project, was another issue brought up by the journalist.
He quizzes:
“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?”
