Ghana's infrastructure development is facing significant challenges, including project delays and cost overruns, despite the country's abundance of engineers, contractors, consultants, lawyers, and project managers. The country's universities continue to produce professionals, and the government commits substantial resources to infrastructure development. However, the question remains as to why some projects cost more, take longer, and deliver less than originally intended.
According to Kwaku Asare Baffour, a civil engineering, project management, and legal professional, the problem lies not in the availability of resources, but in how projects are conceived, planned, procured, contracted, managed, and monitored. A successful project should deliver the required quality, within the agreed cost and timeframe, while achieving the purpose for which the investment was made. This requires more than engineering; it requires disciplined project management, effective procurement, and sound legal and contractual governance.
The Auditor-General's reports have highlighted some of the consequences of inadequate project management, including projects where delays in completion posed risks of increased costs through potential price variations. These examples raise an important question: Should project success be measured by the money spent and the physical structure constructed, or by the actual benefit delivered to citizens?
The Value for Money Office Act, 2026 (Act 1172), aims to address these issues by reviewing procurement practices, cost-estimation methodologies, contract-management processes, and expenditure-control mechanisms. The Act establishes a framework for value-for-money assessments, including pre-award and post-award assessments, post-completion assessments, benchmarking, and compliance mechanisms.
Effective project management encompasses planning, procurement, risk management, stakeholder coordination, contract administration, quality control, performance measurement, and accountability. Modern project-management thinking also emphasizes value delivery rather than activity alone. The Project Management Institute's PMBOK Guide highlights areas including governance, value delivery, stakeholders, finance, quality, schedule, and risk.
The solution is not to blame one profession or institution; rather, it requires greater collaboration among engineers, quantity surveyors, architects, project managers, lawyers, procurement professionals, contractors, consultants, and public officials. Our universities and professional institutions should encourage interdisciplinary training to equip future project managers with a comprehensive understanding of contracts, risk, and commercial consequences.
Ultimately, Ghana's infrastructure challenge is not simply about building more; it is about building better and delivering value. Before approving a major project, we should ask: Is it necessary? Is it properly planned? Are the risks understood? Are the contractual arrangements appropriate? Is the financing realistic? Can performance be effectively monitored? And, most importantly, what measurable value will the project deliver to citizens?
Key points
- Inadequate project management is a major challenge to Ghana's infrastructure development.
- The Value for Money Office Act, 2026 (Act 1172), aims to address project management issues.
- Interdisciplinary training and collaboration are essential for successful project management.
