Mr Ambrose Dery, Minister of the Interior, who made the call in Accra, said an Entity Tender Committee was a high level Governance Committee, which ultimate role was to protect the public purse, whilst ensuring firm commitment to fairness, transparency and objectivity in the procurement process.

“It is against this background and in line with the Public Procurement (Amendment) Act, 2016 (Act 914) Section 20 (A and B) that the Ministry of the Interior is inaugurating this committee charged to promote accountability,” he added.

The nine-member committee had Mr Henry Quartey, Deputy Minister of the Interior as the Chairman and Mr Annan Kakabaah, Head of Finance, Ministry of the Interior as a member.

The rests include Mr William Kpobi, An Attorney from the Attorney-General’s Office, Ministry of Justice, Member, Mr Assan-Brew, Mr Daniel Nartey and Ms Rose Tsorhey, all Heads of Department and Agency, Ministry of the Interior.

Others are Mrs Adelaide Anno-Kumi, Chief Director, Ministry of the Interior, and two members to be nominated from the Ghana Bar Association and Institute of Engineers. The Committee is tasked to review and approve annual Procurement Plans and approve quarterly updates of these procurement plans; confirm the range of acceptable costs of items to be procured and match these with available funds in the approved budget; review schedules of procurement and specifications and ensure that procurement procedures are followed in strict conformity with the Act.

It is to ensure that necessary concurrent approval is obtained from the appropriate Tender Review Committee where applicable; facilitate contract administration and ensure compliance with reporting procedures and; assist the head of entity to ensure that stores, vehicles and equipment were disposed of in accordance with the Act. Mr Dery reminded the members of the country’s recent history and experiences regarding how the public purse was handled, especially in the areas bothering on procurement and urged them to exhibit high level integrity and professionalism in the discharge of their duties and avoid conflicts of interest.

He pledged the Ministry’s preparedness to assist them to achieve their mandate.

Mr Quartey, on his part, thanked the government for the confidence reposed in them and pledged their commitment to work hard to bridge any loopholes in the system. The Minister earlier led the Committee members to swear the official oath and the oath of secrecy.