80 billion cedis needed to complete police stations

Accra, May 23, GNA - The Ministry of Interior has requested the Police Service to collate information on all uncompleted police stations and residential facilities nationwide.

"Initial estimates are that it will cost about 80 billion cedis to complete all such projects," Mr Albert Kan-Dapaah, Interior Minister, told Parliament on Tuesday.

Mr. Kan-Dapaah, who was answering questions in the house, said the ministry was collaborating with the police administration to prioritise these uncompleted projects and ultimately provide a strategic plan for the completion of all the projects.

"It is the strong desire of government to address the housing needs of the Police Service and efforts are underway to obtain funding for that purpose," he added.

In response to another question on what plans the ministry has to open a fire service station in the Nanumba North district, Mr Kan-Dapaah said out of the 18 districts in the Northern region, only eight were covered by the services of the Ghana National Fire Service. "Bimbilla, which is the district capital of the Nanumba North district has been identified as one of the 85 critical areas in the country with no fire station. The government is working very hard to obtain financial resources to acquire the much needed fire tenders for those areas and Bimbilla will be covered under that project," he said. Mr Alfred Abayeteye, (NDC-Sege) in a related question, asked when the new office building for the district fire office of the Dangme East district would be completed.

The Interior Minster said work on the Ada Fire Station in the Dangme East district had commenced and the ministry had "issued a specific warrant to the contractor, Messrs Barry Construction Limited, who has recommenced work on the Ada Fire station. Completion date is expected to be in the second half of 2007."

Mr Abayeteye, then asked whether he was aware that the contractor on the project has since 2004 not been traced, to which the minister promised to investigate the matter.

In response to another question on when the fire tender removed from Have in the Hohoe district would be returned, Mr Kan-Dapaah said the Fire Service had to review the allocation of fire tenders in a number of districts because of the inadequacy of fire fighting equipment.

He said Have was presently being serviced by the fire tender at the Hohoe station because of the problem of inadequacy.

In an answer to another question on plans to develop the Namoo-Yelwongo border post in the Bongo constituency, as an alternative entry and exit point between Ghana and Burkina Faso, the minister said there were plans to develop and strengthen Ghana's borders.

He said border operations would be enhanced under the new Border Management Project and the Namoo Border post would see an improvement in terms of infrastructure development, equipment and manpower.