
• Sole-sourced deal for ‘needless’ airport system stinks of fraud, say insiders
The Ghana Meteorological Agency (GMet) is under intense scrutiny over a jaw-dropping $878,641 (GH₵11 million) contract awarded under suspicious circumstances for the installation of a weather monitoring system at Kotoka International Airport.
The Ghana Meteorological Agency (GMet), long starved of resources to maintain its crumbling stations and outdated equipment, has come under intense scrutiny over a jaw-dropping $878,641 (GH₵11 million) on a questionable weather monitoring system – a move critics say reeks of corruption, cronyism, and a brazen disregard for procurement law.
The eye-watering $878,641 contract was quietly handed to PM Consult Limited via sole sourcing – bypassing competitive bidding entirely – for the installation of an Automatic Weather Observation System (AWOS) at Kotoka International Airport.
At the heart of the scandal is the decision to replace a 14-year-old Finnish-made Vaisala AWS 3 system that engineers insist is still functioning perfectly. Technical officers say they were neither consulted nor informed, and have labelled the contract a “political fix, not a technical need.”
“The current system works fine. This was unnecessary,” one senior GMet engineer told The Hawk.
“It’s like throwing away your car just to buy a shiny new one… with someone else’s money.”
Documents reviewed show the deal was split into a $196,000 ‘Goods Component’ and a jaw-dropping $682,641 ‘Works Component’ for installation and related services. Experts say the entire system – hardware and setup included – should cost no more than $200,000.
“It’s a blank cheque disguised as weather tech,” one procurement analyst fumed.
“There’s no breakdown, no Bill of Quantities – nothing. Just fat figures and fast payments.”
PM Consult is already under investigation for shady dealings in a World Bank-funded digital agriculture project, where it allegedly forged documents and sourced dubious equipment from China and Slovakia.
Sources say the firm is linked to GMet’s own Director-General, and after being barred from fresh donor-funded bids, simply re-emerged under shell companies to grab new contracts under the radar.
“It’s the same crew wearing new uniforms,” a civil service source said.
The timeline of the payout has raised eyebrows:
• 3 Dec 2024: PPA grants approval
• 5 Dec: Contract signed
• 18 Dec: GHS 2.4m part-payment issued
• 21 Dec: Mobilisation fee paid
•
All wrapped up within three weeks, and just before the 2024 general elections.
“This smells of panic spending,” a civil society activist said.
“Like they knew change was coming and wanted the last bite.”
Outraged observers are now calling for:
• A forensic audit by the Auditor-General
• Criminal investigation by the Special Prosecutor
• Internal sanctions at Gmet
•
“This isn’t just bad procurement. This is sabotage,” a policy analyst told The Sun.
“It’s a slap in the face to the very engineers keeping the skies safe.”
The Presidency is yet to comment, but insiders say pressure is mounting fast.
As one former meteorologist bluntly put it:
“When the weather office becomes a cash cow, the forecast isn’t cloudy – it’s corrupt.”