Implement projects devoid of partisan consideration

Sunyani(B/A), May 23,GNA - The Vice President, Mr. John Dramani Mahamah on Friday appealed to Ghanaians to avoid partisanship orientation in the implementation of projects in the country. He said, as one people, unity and togetherness must be exhibited in building the nation, since now was the era for all to put aside the partisanship attitudes that only caused divisiveness and brought about confusion and tension in the society.

The Vice President was speaking in Sunyani at the launch of US$20 million Agence Francaise de Development (AFD)/ Government of Ghana (GoG) sponsored peri-urban, rural and small towns' water supply and sanitation project for Brong Ahafo.

The project, earmarked to serve over 320,000 inhabitants in the region is to ensure the sustainable improvement of their living conditions and health status through the provision of sustainable water supply and improved sanitation infrastructures as well as the provision of capacity building for all stakeholders.

Mr. Mahama said the Mills administration recognized the efforts made by the Kufuor government to secure the funding for the project and therefore stressed that the government would continue with the execution of any good project initiated by the previous government.

Mr Mahamah reiterated that the government would continue to ensure a proper balance of development interventions between urban and rural communities, hoping that such an effort would go a long way to mitigate the hardship on the rising urban poor, especially within certain satellite settlements in the peri-urban centres. He announced that as part of measures to accelerate the provision of such an essential service to people living notably in the deprived communities, government this year had allocated an amount of GH¢ 30 million from its own resources as an investment into the water and sanitation sub sector.

The amount was to enable the Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA) to work according to its planned activities in line with the Strategic Investment Plan (SIP) developed for the sub sector, the VEEP added.

Mr. Mahama therefore urged all stakeholders to operate in conformity with the transparent administration promised by the government by ensuring that the right and competitive tendering procedures were followed in the award of contracts about the project, emphasizing that "we should eschew all forms of favouratism, corruption and insider dealings in the award of contracts under the project". The Vice President also inaugurated a 400,000 metric tones annual production capacity JA Quarry site at Papaso in the Wenchi municipality on the Sunyani-Wenchi road in the region. The multi-million dollar investment owned by JA Plant Pool is currently providing about 200 direct employment excluding about 20 management staff. 23 May 09