Parliament approves $90m for UESD project

Parliament has approved a $90 million loan from the Export-Import Bank of Korea for the construction of the Bunso Campus of the University of Environment and Sustainable Development (UESD).

A post-vote head-count in parliament showed that 125 legislators were in favour of the motion while 75 were against it.

The head count was done by Speaker Professor Aaron Mike Oquaye after Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu had challenged the result of the voice-vote which went in favour of the Majority.

Minority members had questioned why the cost of the satellite project was more than the cost of the construction of the main project.

They had also argued that the siting of the campus at Bunso was discriminatory.

Earlier when the motion was tabled for discussion, Minority spokesperson on Finance, Cassiel Ato Forson, said the loan agreement breaches Act 2015 (Act 898) that established the university.

The Act states among others that the university will have a campus at Somanya with campuses in Donkorkrom and other places that will be determined by the university council.

The Minority, therefore, argued that changing the location of the campus from Donkorkrom to Bunso, is discriminatory. It says the council has not been constituted for the university to warrant a decision to move the campus from Donkorkrom to Bunso.

The former Deputy Finance Minister, therefore, urged both sides in parliament on Friday, 13 July 2018, to reject the agreement due to the blatant disregard for the law.

“As we speak, there is no council in place. I want to find out the basis on which that university is being established.

“I am of the view that the minister responsible for education does not have the powers to establish a university campus. I say this because clearly, the Act that governs the establishment and governance of the university does not allow that. We cannot allow the minister of education to disregard the Act that governs the establishment of the university. We, the members on this side of the House, will not support this motion,” he stressed.

He was seconded by a former deputy Minister of Education, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, who accused the Akufo-Addo government of discriminating against the people of Donkorkrom.

“Honourable Agyarko said it was too expensive. They described the amount as daylight robbery. It is interesting that today a satellite campus is even more expensive than the main campus. $90 million, if what we did was daylight robbery, then what is this?” the North Tongu MP questioned.

He continued: “Logically, if we can build the headquarters of the university for $50 million in Somanya, then this $90 million, I submit strongly that we could have divided it and had the Donkorkrom and Bunso campuses. Then you are being fair… Then we will be having value for money.”

“This House has to be very careful the precedent we are setting. We are saying that we passed a law, another party comes to power, we don’t like our laws, we won’t amend it, we don’t tell the people of Donkorkrom anything, we are violating the law and we are going to a preferred place because of clear familiar reasons.

“Article 17 of our Constitution frowns on discrimination. What we are being invited to do is to discriminate against the people of Donkorkrom in flagrant violation of Article 17 of the constitution of Ghana and that is why this side of the House is saying that we will not be part of this illegal and discriminatory action,” Mr Ablakwa stated.