No contract inflation under NPP - Joe Ghartey

The opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) has promised to ensure value for money on all projects, if voted into office.

Unlike President Mahama and his NDC, who inflate the cost of projects, the NPP said it will ensure that Ghanaians get value-for-money, and Ghanaian businesses having a pride of place in developing our infrastructure.

Addressing journalists in Accra on Tuesday, the Chairman of the NPP Sector Committee on Infrastructure and Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Joe Ghartey, said the party has a comprehensive plan to improve the country’s infrastructure.

He mentioned some of the plans as follows;

INFRASTRUCTURE

The NPP will embark on a sustainable, integrated, infrastructural development programme. This will address infrastructure that supports a modern road network, affordable housing, water systems, aviation, ports & harbours, railways and ICT. This programme will create jobs and bring prosperity.

Contract overpricing and the gross abuse of the Public Procurement Act through questionable sole sourcing, has characterised Ghana’s infrastructural development in the last few years. Of two identical sets of teachers’ bungalows next to each other in Dambai Teacher Training College, the one constructed by NPP in 2007 cost GHC195,000, while the one constructed by the NDC in 2011 cost 4.6 times more, at GHC900,000.

It is no wonder that, given the resources at the disposal of the Mahama government, Ghanaians have not seen a commensurate quantum of infrastructural development taking place. Furthermore, in real terms, Ghana has also seen a decline in infrastructural expenditure – from an average of 11.5% of GDP between 2001 and 2008, to 5.7% of GDP between 2009 and 2015, and 4.2% of GDP in 2016.

The NPP’s Integrated Infrastructural Development Programme shall have the following key components;

A National Asset Protection Project

Interconnected Roads, Railways, Ports & Harbours Systems

An Aviation Hub

A Water for All Programme

Flood Control and Coastline Protection

Mainstreamed ICT, and

Affordable Housing for All.

The National Asset Protection Project

Under the National Asset Protection Project, a comprehensive audit of uncompleted Government projects throughout the country will be undertaken. A special-purpose Asset Securitisation Vehicle shall be established to hold these assets and leverage them to raise funds for their completion. Under this Project, countless jobs will be created for student as well as qualified architects, draughtsmen, property valuers and related professionals throughout Ghana.

Interconnected Roads, Railways, Ports & Harbours Systems and Aviation

The lack of a modern, integrated and well established transport infrastructure, of roads, railways, ports & harbours and aviation, isone of the weakest links in our development.

The existing transport infrastructure is wholly inadequate, colonial in character and is not adequately integrated. We will integrate Ghana’s transportation infrastructure. This will make the movement of goods and people more efficient and effective. It will boost the economy and generally generate hundreds of thousands of direct and indirect jobs.

Roads and Highways

In this sector we shall improve the road network and close the missing links in the network. We shall systematically tar gravel roads in areas of high population density, agricultural production and tourism potential. We shall tar all Cities and District Capitals and progressively tar all other major towns in Ghana.

We must end the nightmare of traffic congestion which is engulfing our cities and some of our highways. To this end we shall widen major arterial roads into multi-lane carriageways, construct lay-bys and dedicated traffic lanes for high occupancy buses and construct by-passes and interchanges at major intersections such as Point 7 in Tamale, Tema Motorway Roundabout, Suame Roundabout, Oforikrom Intersection and Takoradi PTC Roundabout. We shall also improve and increase access to the public transportation system.

Railways

This sector will completely be overhauled. The Western and Eastern Lines will be revamped. We shall also expand the railway network from Kumasi to Paga. We shall build a Tema-Akosombo Rail Line and tie it in with a revived and expanded Volta Lake Transport System. This opportunity to transport goods and people from the South to the North and vice versa, through road, rail and water transport is a clear example of our integrated approach to transport infrastructure.

Ports and Harbours

We shall make our ports and harbours more efficient and cheaper to use by fully automating the processes which will reduce time spent at the ports. Port charges and fees will also be reduced. We shall continue the expansion of the Tema Harbour. The Takoradi Harbour will be extended to Sekondi and a logistics centre will be developed in Sekondi. With the private sector, we shall construct two new harbours in James Town and Keta and the inland port in Buipe. The Volta River will be developed into a major transportation artery in conjunction with the private sector. Modern ferry ports will be developed at locations such as Buipe, Yapei, Yeji, Makango, Kwadwokurom, Kete-Krachi, Adowso, Ekyemanfrom, Akateng and Boso.

Aviation Hubs

We shall make our airports international and regional hubs. We shall also increase domestic air travel as part of our integrated transport system. We will achieve this through policies such as improving and increasing our transport infrastructure generally, reducing the price of aviation fuel and abolishing the 17.5 % VAT on domestic air fares, among others.

Our Water for All Programme

We are proud of our track record in the provision of water to several communities across the country. In addition to several other interventions from2001 to 2008, NPP, under President Kufuor, undertook major water system improvements in Cape Coast, Baafikrom, Koforidua, Kumasi, Kwanyarku, Ada, Sogakope, Accra and Tamale.

Unfortunately a large number of Ghanaians still do not have access to potable water. Under our Water for All Agenda we seek to ensure that every Ghanaian has access to portable water. We shall, among others, sink at least 25, 000 new boreholesand 300 small town water supply systems and upgrade antiquated water supply systems in our towns and cities.