Honorary Vice President of IMANI Africa, Bright Simons, has raised serious concerns over the high cost of Ghana’s Games Management System during the 2023 African Games.
In a post on the X platform dated August 23, Mr Simons questioned the transparency of the procurement process that led to the country spending $4.5 million on a system rented from Atos, a French ICT consulting giant.
He pointed out that Atos had bid to provide a similar system for the 2018 Mediterranean Games in Tarragona, Spain, but lost the contract to Bornan Sports Technology, a company that offered a more comprehensive package at a significantly lower cost.
Bornan’s winning bid, valued at just under 1.3 million euros, included services for accreditation, athlete registration, results management, television graphics, and results information.
This package covered more than the system rented by Ghana for the African Games and came at a fraction of the cost.
“The number of users of the Bornan system also far exceeded those of the African Games because even though the number of athletes were comparable (~3,700 for the Med Games), the number of spectators using the Bornan platform during the Mediterranean Games far outnumbered those who experienced the African Games system,” Simons highlighted in his post.
The 2018 Mediterranean Games, which hosted 4,000 athletes from 26 nationalities competing in 33 sports, saw over 150,000 spectators.
Bornan’s system, chosen over bids from Atos and other competitors, was praised for its technical improvements. These included a mobile-accessible results information system for athletes, a commentary support system, and a “latest news” feature designed for media outlets.
Despite offering such enhancements, Bornan’s system cost less than half of what Ghana paid Atos for the 2023 African Games.The 2023 African Games, held from March 8 to March 23 under the theme “Experience the African Dream,” attracted over 5,000 athletes and officials competing in 22 sporting disciplines.
Mr Simons’ post has sparked a debate about whether Ghana’s procurement process was based on a competitive tender and whether the country received value for money.
“If the Parliamentary inquiry at the Public Accounts Committee is serious, MPs should request all contracts & publish them for all of us to scrutinize,” he urged.
These concerns align with recent statements from Kobena Mensah Woyome, Chairman of Parliament’s Select Committee for Youth, Sports, and Tourism.
Woyome, in an interview with JoySports, revealed that Ghana spent over $4 million on the Games Management System for the African Games.
He questioned the high cost and expressed doubts about what was delivered, stating that the accreditation process and overall system performance did not reflect the value of such a large expenditure.
“Even the games management system itself…the cost of putting it together and the standard we know at continental events—it just doesn’t add up,” said the South Tongu MP.
He added, “For instance, the accreditation process and the tags given…we did not see anything extraordinary. But do you know how much we spent? As we are told, it was $4.5 million for that. So, what actually went into it?”
Woyome further disclosed that he had written to Atos Information Technology, the company responsible for providing the system, seeking clarification on how the funds were utilized. Six months after the event concluded, neither the Local Organizing Committee nor the Sports Ministry has provided a detailed breakdown of the expenditure, despite repeated assurances to do so.
As pressure mounts, Ghanaians are eagerly awaiting more details on the allocation of funds and whether the contract awarded truly represented value for money.
Ghana rented a Games Management System from Atos, the French ICT consulting giant, for $4.5m when it hosted the Africa Games.
Was this based on a competitive tender?
Atos bid to provide a similar system for the Mediterranean Games. It offered more than just accreditation.… pic.twitter.com/eUutugGoUl
— Bright Simons (@BBSimons) August 23, 2024
Source: tigpost.co
