President of IMANI Africa, Franklin Cudjoe, has described the controversial contracts awarded to Strategic Mobilization Ghana Limited (SML) as “cancerous,” pointing to deep-seated issues of financial mismanagement and weak policy oversight.
Speaking on Citi FM’s The Big Issue on Saturday, November 1, Cudjoe said the contracts represented a total breakdown of governance standards. “I think the SML thing is cancerous. Beyond it being a duck and an elephant, it is just cancerous. I just can’t imagine that every level of propriety fails, financially and policy-wise,” he stated.
He lamented the absence of clear policy direction and questioned the rationale behind the deal. “What even hurts me is that there seems to be no proper guiding policy as to how this thing should be done. The question is, what was the level of need?” he asked.
Cudjoe’s comments follow revelations from the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), which concluded that the SML contracts were unnecessary, unlawfully approved, and detrimental to the state’s finances.
According to the OSP’s investigation, there was no legitimate basis for engaging SML. The contracts were reportedly secured through patronage and influence, supported by unverified claims. The probe also found serious breaches of statutory procedures, with key officials bypassing mandatory approvals and oversight mechanisms.
The OSP further disclosed that payments to SML were made automatically without proper verification of work completed, leading to significant financial losses to the state. The findings have intensified public calls for accountability and a thorough review of procurement and monitoring systems within government institutions.
