Title: Project governance structure and project performance: the mediating role of tendering transparency for successful public-private partnerships

Authors: Moses Kwasi Kusedzi; Victor Y. Atiase; Dennis Yao Dzansi

Addresses: Faculty of Management Sciences, Central University of Technology, Free State, South Africa ' School of Accounting Finance and Economics, De Montfort University (DMU), Leicester, LE 19BH, UK ' Faculty of Management Sciences, Central University of Technology, Free State, South Africa

Abstract: Public-private partnership has become a widely published and innovative means of responding to public project infrastructural needs. This paper aims to investigate the relationships between project governance structure and the mediating role of tendering transparency on public-private partnerships performance. A stratified sample of 453 respondents from the 18 administrative districts of Volta Region of Ghana participated in the study by completing a self-reported questionnaire. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and partial least square-based structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). The findings suggest significant direct effects of quality project governance structure on both cost and time performances of PPP projects. In addition, perceived tendering transparency was a significant mediator between project governance structure and public-private partnerships performance on time and cost. This paper is one of the first to have a model including, tendering transparency, public-private partnerships performance and perceived project governance structure setup from less developed PPP market perspective.

Keywords: project governance structure; project structure; tendering transparency; partial least square-based structural equation modelling; PLS-SEM; Ghana; public-private partnerships performance.

DOI: 10.1504/IJPOM.2026.154458

International Journal of Project Organisation and Management, 2026 Vol.18 No.2, pp.150 - 177

Received: 28 Feb 2023
Accepted: 13 Nov 2023
Published online: 29 Jun 2026 *

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