Stop cutting sod for non-existent road projects – Minority

Member of Parliament for Adaklu, Kwame Governs Agbodza has called on government to invest in road infrastructure in the country instead of cutting sod for projects which are not ongoing.

According to Mr. Agbodza, Government it has become characteristic of government, to be commissioning roads projects without allocating monies for the commencement of these projects.

He also called on government to stop cutting-sod for projects which have already begun, citing an example of the Hohoe-Jasikan project which was started in December 2015.

Vice president, Mohamadu Bawumia, in November announced the commencement of construction work on the e 88 kilometre Hohoe-Jasikan to Dodo Pepesu stretch of the Eastern Corridor Road.

This Project forms part of Phase 1 of the $2billion Government of Ghana/Sinohydro Master Project Agreement.

However the Member of Parliament for Adaklu said this sod-cutting was needless as works had already begun on the same stretch since 2015.

“As we speak there is sod cutting everywhere, on 7th of December 2015, contractors started work on the Hohoe to Jasikan road. What is the point of government going there do another sod cutting. Mr Speaker, we don’t build roads by sod cutting. Mr. Speaker, if they are building your roads, you will see the contractors on the site, so the government should stop cutting sod for road projects which are not on going. They cut sod for Tamale interchange but is work ongoing? No.”

“It’s not all about sod cutting, put the money into the project and we will see the results”

He also described government’s promise to construct more roads as lip service as the government did not state where they ought to raise 2,.2 billion dollars de road construction.” He stated

Mr. Speaker, I dare say that 1.2 billion allocated by the Ministry as road infrastructure in the 2020 budget as compared to the 2.2 billion dollars required to do projects only on the table 21. In fact this doesn’t include ongoing projects. Mr Speaker, this government is not telling us the truth, they don’t intend to build this road otherwise, they should have shown where in the budget that 2.2 billion dollars would be found. He added.

Government has announced its intention to embark on a massive road construction project in 2020, describing the coming year as “The Year of Roads.”

This announcement was made by the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, Parliament on Wednesday, November 13, 2019, as he presented the 2020 Budget Statement and Economic Policy of the Akufo-Addo’s administration.