INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF LATEST TECHNOLOGY IN ENGINEERING,
MANAGEMENT & APPLIED SCIENCE (IJLTEMAS)
ISSN 2278-2540 | DOI: 10.51583/IJLTEMAS | Volume XIV, Issue XII, December 2025
Architecting Prosperity: Public Procurement as the Foundational
Blueprint for Ghana’s Digital, Green, and Self-Sufficient Economic
Future
Simon Suwanzy Dzreke, Semefa Elikplim Dzreke
Federal Aviation Administration, AHR, Career and Leadership Development, Washington, DC, US
Received: 17 December 2025; Accepted: 25 December 2025; Published: 31 December 2025
ABSTRACT
Ghana's annual public procurement expenditure of $3.5 billion, accounting for 11% of GDP, serves as a
significant but underleveraged framework for addressing the country's interconnected issues of digital exclusion,
climate vulnerability, and import dependency. This research goes beyond traditional administrative perspectives,
introducing a transformative "Procurement 4.0" framework aimed at strategically harnessing fiscal power. The
framework integrates artificial intelligence, blockchain, and multi-stakeholder governance to align procurement
with three key imperatives: facilitating digital leapfrogging through AI-driven tender platforms that enhance
SME access, catalyzing green industrialization with mandatory sustainability criteria and life-cycle assessments,
and promoting SME-driven self-sufficiency via enforceable participation quotas and capability development.
The study utilizes policy archaeology (2010-2024), multi-criteria scenario modeling, and stakeholder gap
analysis to illustrate that recalibrating strategic procurement can enhance SME contributions to GDP from 17%
to 25%, attain 40% green procurement compliance by 2035, and achieve notable AI-driven efficiency savings.
The findings provide a clear and practical framework for Ghana and comparable Global South economies aiming
to transform public spending into drivers of technological sovereignty, climate resilience, and inclusive structural
change, fundamentally reshaping the role of procurement in fostering prosperity.
Keywords: Public Procurement; Digital Transformation; Green Industrialization; SME Development; Ghana;
Procurement 4.0; Economic Sovereignty.
INTRODUCTION:
Procurement as Economic Framework
Public procurement is a vital fiscal mechanism in Ghana’s economy, representing around 11% of national GDP—
approximately $3.5 billion in annual expenditure (PPA, 2022; Dzreke & Dzreke, 2025h). This scale corresponds
with OECD economies, where procurement constitutes an average of 12.7% of GDP, highlighting its significant
economic impact (OECD, 2025). When strategically reconceptualized, procurement evolves beyond mere
transactional purchasing to serve as a fundamental component of economic architecture. It has the distinct ability
to influence market structures, expedite technological diffusion, and promote essential developmental goals. The
deliberate incorporation of digitalization, environmental sustainability, and SME inclusion into procurement
frameworks
presents
significant
potential
for
structural
transformation
across
the
economy.
Ghana faces three interconnected development challenges that require this strategic shift. Digital exclusion
remains a significant issue, as 35% of citizens do not have internet access (ITU, 2022; Paradigm Initiative, 2023).
Climate vulnerability poses a significant risk to economic stability, with flood-related damage anticipated to
account for 7% of GDP by 2050 (UNDP, 2021). Import dependency is significant, with 30% of food consumption
dependent on foreign supply chains (MoFA, 2023). Conventional procurement methods, primarily concerned
with procedural adherence, do not adequately tackle these systemic weaknesses. Institutional fragmentation,
regulatory overlaps, and political patronage networks intensify corruption, leading to estimated financial
leakages of 15-30% per contract (GIACC, 2020; Dzreke & Dzreke, 2025h). National audits consistently reveal
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