Accountability of Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) in Ghana

ABSTRACT

The study draws on the Giddens’ structuration theory and the stakeholder theory to examine the accountability of Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) in Ghana. Traditionally, the public sector has been in the fore front in the delivery of public infrastructure and services. However, as part of the neo-liberal agenda, PPPs have become popular arrangements used to deliver public infrastructure and services. Ghana has also embraced the use of this concept in delivering public infrastructure and services. Notwithstanding the immense benefits of this concept, accountability is a key area that remains an issue of concern. Several studies have raised issues of a shortfall in accountability arrangements with regards to PPPs. This study attempts to provide evidence on the accountability issues in PPPs, focusing on Ghana, a lower middle income country. To achieve this objective, a qualitative research approach was employed with a case study design. Data were obtained principally through face-to-face interviews with public sector and private sector actors involved in a PPP arrangement. Also policy documents and publicly available information like PPP policy guidelines, newsletters and fact sheets were relied upon during the study. Results show that the main approaches to accountability in Ghanaian PPPs are the hierarchical and horizontal approaches. In these approaches, accountability is delivered to stakeholders through the accountability structures identified in the literature. Moreover, contractual, legal and administrative accountability structures are more pronounced in the PPP arrangements in Ghana. Also partners in the PPP arrangement use the attainment of key performance indicators and strict adherence to other contract terms as the main avenue to deliver accountability. The study further revealed that the ethics and social value perspective to accountability as well as the governance perspective to accountability are not clearly evidenced in PPPs in Ghana. The study also revealed some accountability challenges; less stakeholder consultation, inadequate disclosure and transparency of information, less transparent and competitive procurement procedures, inadequate measures to ensure value for money and inadequate measures to ensure effective contract management. This study provides an avenue for government to draw on the findings to formulate pragmatic policies regarding the proper accountability of PPP transactions in Ghana.