Dep. Minister Writes-Off NPP

… Claims They Only Exhibited A Dream With No Feasibility Study Or Funding Insisting Purchase of Naval Boats were Initiated By NDC!

• In The Ongoing Controversy Over The Construction Of Fishing Infrastructure Development Projects

SOURCE: NEW CRUSADING GUIDE

It appears that the ongoing political scuffle between the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) over the construction of some fishing infrastructure development projects in the country may not end anytime soon as both parties lay claim to some achievements chalked by the Fisheries sector in that respect.

The erstwhile NPP administration has explained that it had initiated moves for the construction of Fishing Harbours, landing sites, cold-stores and refrigeration facilities to help reduce the worrying situation of post-harvest losses and damage to canoes.

But on the other hand, the NDC is arguing strongly that all the opposition party had, was a dream of the project and nothing much.

Deputy Minister in charge of Fisheries, Nii Amasah Namoale told The New Crusading GUIDE in his office yesterday that “NPP left no feasibility studies and funding for the project, but rather left a debt of €248, 000. What they did was to make a company in Holland capture their dreams. It was not an achievement it was propaganda. When we went to Italy there was no feasibility study”

The deputy Minister was referring to “Messrs DHV", a Dutch Engineering Consortium, engaged by the former administration for the project.

Asked if he was aware that former President John Agyekum Kufuour whiles in office cut sod for work to commence on a $16.5 million fishing habour and also announced that, similar projects have been earmarked for other fishing communities across the country as a means of modernizing the fishing industry.

He answered: “They spent $2.5 million to clear the site…You go there and you will see nothing. They actually spent $10million but records available show only $2.5m President Kufuor only went there to cut sod for a dream”.

He continued: “I went to Holland and they are now helping us. They have promised to help us with funds for the feasibility study. I initiated payment for the debt the NPP had left behind”.

He went on to challenge the NPP to provide documents covering feasibility study if there is any.” Without that how can you even know if the site selected for the project is prudent or not”, he added.

The deputy Minister and Member of Parliament (MP) explained that he was only interested in the money available for the project, questioning: “where is the money the NPP left for the project. After the President had gone to China to bring all those millions a lot of companies have come. There are so many intermediary companies looking for funding”.

According to him, although the CNCTI loan went to Parliament the money never arrived in the country.

When asked about the Spanish Government’s € 7 million loan facility for the construction of six cold stores with refrigeration facilities in some fishing communities, he admitted to this reporter that the NPP indeed secured the loan but the NDC deserved credit for not diverting the money but putting it into its intended use.

To buttress his point he stated that “President Kufuor commissioned the Tetteh Quarshie project and takes credit for it, yet he did not solicit funds for it. President Rawlings did. The fact actually is that you don’t take credit for efforts but rather for achievements. So that is a remarkable achievement of Mills”.

About the acquisition of naval boats- another subject in contention, Nii Amasah said “WE PAID FOR THE NAVAL BOATS THROUGH THE MINISTRY OF FINANCE, THEY (NPP) INITIATED FROM OTHER PLACES AND WHEN WE CAME WE CHOSE CHINA AND PAID $12 MILLION. THE ISRAELIS AND AMERICANS CAME AND WE SETTLED ON CHINA”.

He concluded: “WE DESERVE CREDIT FOR THIS; WE COULD HAVE ABANDONED THE PROJECT BUT WE CONTINUED IN THE INTEREST OF GHANA”

Stay tuned for a reaction from Mrs. Gladys Asmah, former Minister for fisheries in the Kufuor Administration.