The Minister for Roads and Highways, Governs Kwame Agbodza, has raised concerns over the effectiveness of the Ghana Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS), arguing that it is not fit for purpose.

He noted that flaws within the platform have resulted in poor documentation, revealing that a number of road projects inherited by the current administration lack credible records to confirm that due procurement procedures were followed, largely due to inconsistencies in the data captured.

Addressing journalists after appearing before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), the Minister urged the Ministry of Finance to introduce a more robust system that can securely store contract details and enhance accountability.

Mr Agbodza stressed that the situation is troubling, particularly considering the volume of funds handled within the roads sector.

He also pointed to irregularities flagged in audit reports, where contractors challenged the amounts owed to them, blaming the discrepancies on inaccurate and unreliable information within the system.

“As for GIFMIS, it is something that we need to augment. The current system is no longer fit for purpose. I am aware that the Minister for Finance is working to bring a system that works better.

“The Roads Ministry needs it even more than anybody because the amount of money they are talking about are huge.

“You saw the audit report talking about contractors who we told that we owe them a certain amount of money and they said no we owe them less than that. And it is because the data we have is not accurate enough,” he stated.