OPERATIONALISING THE PUBLIC PROCUREMENT LAW IN THE EAST MAMPRUSI DISTRICT ASSEMBLY OF THE NORTHERN REGION OF GHANA

The purpose of this study is in three folds. First was to assess staff awareness levels and adherence of the Public Procurement Act 2003 (Act 663) of Ghana. Again, to assess age, job title and years of working experience of staff impact on their procurement law awareness as well, the challenges of operationalization of the Public Procurement Act 2003 (Act 663) of Ghana were examined. The study adopted a mix approach, comprising of review of relevant literature, interviews ten (10) top management respondents and questionnaire administered to forty (40) respondents from the East Mamprusi District Assembly of the Northern Region of Ghana. The study unearthed a low procurement law awareness level and average level of adherence to the procurement law among the public servants. Three ANOVA results of this study shows that age, job title and years of working experience of staff have statistical significant impact on their procurement law awareness. Again, political interference, inadequate funds and assembly big wig interference turned out as the key procurement challenge in the study area. This study recommended that politician who directly or indirectly influence the procurement process should be exposed by the PPA and punished by the law courts if found guilty; there should be a conscious effort by government to train and employ qualified procurement officers in the various public sectors and for transparency; periodic training/seminars by Public Procurement Authority (PPA) for all public sector workers and timely approval of annual procurement budgets before implementation; and periodic monitoring by the Authority. Whiles most procurement research in Ghana are dominated by districts in the south, a comprehensive descriptive study from the northern Ghana has been addressed by this study.