Poor salaries of PPA staff could compromise their work - James Klutse Avedzi

The Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament, James Klutse Avedzi, is of the view that the poor remuneration of the staff of the Public Procurement Authority (PPA) makes them prune to corrupt practices in carrying out their work.

Citing an incident to buttress a point, the Ketu North Member of Parliament said there was case where the Authority engaged a corporate lawyer on a contract term and was paying him GH¢4000. 

However, he explained, when the said lawyer was regularised, his salary dropped to GH¢2000, a situation he noted, could negatively affect the work of the Authority.

Dr Avedzi said many of the staff at the PPA are paid meagre salaries, hence making them more vulnerable to compromise on their work, particularly when offered inducement. 

"What we have realised as the reason why the Procurement Authority is doing that is that the Head or the people there; most of them —(1); the salaries are nothing to write home about. They take home very meagre salaries," he disclosed in a promo video to a yet-to-be aired interview on TV3 on Saturday, May 4, 2024. 

Dr Avedzi added, "There was an issue in the 2022 report, which we looked at; where a lawyer was employed or recruited as a legal person for the Authority. And this lawyer was being paid GH¢4000 as his or her salary. Now, that was on contract, but when this lawyer was regularised, [went] through the Public Service Commission, and eventually given an appointment letter, the salary dropped to GH¢2000."

For him, even the lawyer's salary was better that most of the staff in that Authority.

"And so, we realised that the salaries is one motivating factor that when these requests come to them, probably with some purse, they will be willing......" to compromise on their work.