Where?s The $600Million Road Money?

The National Democratic Congress has challenged the New Patriotic Party to account for 600 million dollars the party claims it left for the construction of the Jasikan-Yendi road.

The 150-kilometre road, which would have given access to neighbouring countries like Burkina Faso and Togo to increase commercial activities and generate revenue, has not seen any work for the past three-and-a-half years.

The ranking member for Roads and Transport, Mr. Steve Akorli, asked: ?Where is the money if after three-and-a-half years they are only cutting sod for 33 kilometres of that road??

Mr Akorli asked the NPP this question at the Victoria Park, Cape Coast, where the NDC launched its campaign for the December 2004 elections. He said all that the NPP was interested in, was to engage in multiple commissioning and sod-cutting of road networks in Ghana.

?What the NPP is doing within a confused state is to complete small portions o roads to throw dust into the eyes of Ghanaians?, he stated.

Mr. Akorli said but for the HIPC initiative, the Mallam ? Yamoransa road, which he described as ?tie and dye? road, would have been constructed in 2003.

?As I speak now, the NPP is planning to commission a 20 km portion of the tie and dye road?, he said.

He said because the NPP functionaries were inexperienced, they did not know that the Japanese government would delay, after they opted for HIPC.

?They are struggling with the 45km portion of the road.?

Professor J.E. Atta-Mills, the NDC flagbearer, said if he was elected as president of Ghana, one third of his cabinet would be women.