In the lead‑up to the 2024 general elections, gospel singer Diana Asamoah appeared increasingly “polished” and openly engaged in partisan politics, a transformation that critics now link to lucrative state contracts allegedly handed to her company, Mabo Wo Din Company Limited.
Multiple reports suggest that Mabo Wo Din – a firm registered for “civil works, road and construction” – was awarded a contract to execute drainage works in the Adenta municipality, despite Ms Asamoah having no publicly known background or track record in road construction. Her company is not listed among the Ghana Highway Authority’s recognised contractors.
“A gospel singer with no civil engineering experience suddenly becomes a road contractor – that tells you everything about how the NPP did business,” said a political analyst who requested anonymity because of the sensitive nature of ongoing transitional audits. The allegations have not been independently verified, and Ms Asamoah has not responded to multiple requests for comment.
The timing has drawn particular scrutiny. Ms Asamoah was a prominent NPP campaign surrogate, composing party songs and publicly predicting that the NPP would “remain in power until Jesus comes.” After the NPP’s December 2024 electoral defeat, she told local media: “Even though my party is no longer in power, I believe I will still be offered contracts.”
Economy left in distress
The controversy over Ms Asamoah’s alleged contract is one small piece of a larger picture of economic mismanagement, critics say. By the time the NPP handed over power to the NDC in early 2025, Ghana was grappling with a severe economic downturn.
According to official figures:
· Public debt had soared to approximately 70.6% of GDP, exceeding GHS 746 billion. The NDC has separately claimed that the outgoing government left behind a GHS 40 billion debt specifically for road contracts.
· Inflation peaked at 54% in December 2022 and, although it had eased to about 23% by late 2024, remained well above the 15.2% level recorded when the NPP first took office.
· The cedi depreciated dramatically, falling from roughly GH¢4.2 to the US dollar in 2016 to nearly GH¢15 by early 2025, eroding household purchasing power and business confidence.
· Poverty worsened, with the World Bank reporting that the national poverty rate increased to 30.3% in 2023 as a direct result of the economic crisis.
‘Contractor free‑for‑all’
The NDC has accused the NPP of reckless procurement. In a pre‑handover briefing, an NDC transition team member alleged that some road projects – including the Takoradi‑Agona road – were awarded under “verbal contracts” with no financial commitment or payment plan, leaving a trail of incomplete works and mounting debts.
“It was a contractor free‑for‑all,” the official said. “People who had no business being in construction – political loyalists, campaign financiers, and even entertainers – were handed state projects.”
Separately, reports emerged of a last‑minute hiring spree across state institutions such as COCOBOD, SSNIT and the Ghana Revenue Authority, with critics claiming that many of those recruited were unqualified but politically aligned with the outgoing NPP.
No official response
The NPP has not issued a formal response to the allegations regarding Ms Asamoah or the broader claims of cronyism. Ms Asamoah herself has not returned calls or messages seeking clarification on the nature of her company’s contract, its value, or the scope of works performed.
As the new NDC administration begins its promised “value‑for‑money” audit of all major infrastructure contracts awarded after 2020, the case of the gospel singer turned alleged road contractor may become a test of whether Ghana’s public procurement laws were flouted for political gain.
