Setting the Records Straight on Ghana’s Development

The recent Kumasi demonstration, led to a heated debate involving myself and some NPP friends. Listening to their line of argument, I realized they have been brainwashed by some persons into believing that real

development started under President Kufuor’s administration.

I wouldn’t blame them because, the NDC always fail telling its own story with precision creating that comfort zone for their opponents to distort certain historical facts.

I want us to revisit some past achievements under the man Rawlings. I am already ready and proud

linking achievements of the PNDC to the NDC, because, our opponents never cease tracing our political evolution from the PNDC days.

Under the PNDC,water was expanded across the country, before then, less than 20 percent of our population enjoyed electricity. Through projects such as National Electrification Master Plan(NES) and self Help electrification project (SHEP) which cost the regime about 241 million dollars,the regime extended electricity to 29 capital cities and about 2022 villages before 2001. The Mills administration continued perfectly from where Rawlings left after eight solid years of neglect by the Kufuor administration. Today, Mahama is investing hugely into the energy sector and the administration has already made serious inroads with our energy situation despite the challenges with our energy issue. The construction of Bui and the Takoradi Thermites attests to that,the

solar project up north is another laudable story.

If you talk about water,we can refer to the construction and rehabilitation of the Obuasi water supply project,the Weija treatment plan, Accra metropolitan water expansion project, Winniba water work replacement and over 800 boreholes constructed during the Rawlings era. Pipe water system was also implemented during the era President Mills continued the water expansion programme and the Mahama administration is currently expanding vigrously to deprived areas,from Accra to Nsawam to other parts of the country.

If we come to our roads,i always say Ghanaians forget things easily, the Rawlings regime constructed a six lane dual carriage road leading to four lane carriage road from Tetteh Quarshie interchange to the independence Avenue. The Kumasi to Sunyani road was asphalted, the Kintampo to Tamale to Paga leading to Burkina was constructed.

Apart from these physical developments, the governments good policies,led to the introduction of laudable policies like Vat, Get Fund, though the opposition then, protested vehemently against their introduction, the government

stood on its grounds to implement them.The irony is that, all the policies the NPP taunt themselves with implemented by Kufour, survives on monies raised into the national coffers through these policies. The common Fund our Parliamentarians survive on was introduced by an NDC government. Today, the Mahama administration has added value to the VAT system, by using it as an outlet to spread wide our tax net.

If you talk about housing,we can refer our detractors to visit Adenta housing,the various SSNIT houses across our regional capitals, Giccel in Accra, the Sakumono village and Lashibi. The Kufuor administration couldn’t finish a single housing project the whole of his eight years but sold out Alamos all government lands at prime

areas amongst his cronies.

We must also remember that,prudent agriculture policy by the regime resulted in Ghana hitting food production index of around 148 percent third highest after Jordan.

I will continue to intermittently remind readers of some of the great things the various NDC regimes did and continue to do to uplift the image of our country and to better the living condition of the people. After the

digestion, people would understand why we think comparing the NPP to NDC in terms of our nations development can only be described as political rape.In I get to the second phase covering the Mills and

Mahama administration, many voters will finally decide on where their votes must go.

Source: Ohenenana Obonti Krow/Spy News Agency

Setting the Records Straight on Ghana’s Development (Episode2)

This time,we must tell the right Ghanaian story to cure all mischief and to set the records straight.Whenever our NPP friends get the least opportunity, they try creating the impression that all the projects the current administration and that of Prof Mills embarked upon were financed from loans contracted by the Kufuor administration. This assertion is inaccurate on the contrary,the NDC administration of Rawlings in 2000 bequeathed to the NPP administration, loans it had contracted to do public work. These are few of monies we left for the Kufour administration.

Korle Lagoon Rehabilitation Project Phase 2………37.15 million dollars

Small farms irrigation Project………9.5 million dollars

Sogakofe District Hospital…………19.5 million dollars

Akwapim Ridge Water project……..4.99 million dollars

Achimota-Anyinam road rehabilitation……..7.0 million dollars.

Volta Lake Debris and Shoal Removal and Dredging…….3.7 million dollars

National Functional Literacy project……30.2 million dollars

Economic Reform support Operations…..50.4 million dollars.

I will come out with more figures in my next write up.

The point is though HIPIC wasn’t there around the early 80s,the Rawlings regime could have opted for similar facilities then but the regime stood its grounds to confront those weird economic challenges head on. The regime immediately after taking over,absorbed hundreds of thousands of Ghanaians expelled from Nigeria,housed them at El wark stadium and moved them to their family homes at a very high cost.

I can also proudly mention the introduction of the policy which allowed the establishment of private tertiary institutions in the country, a policy which has widened our education net and has also reduced pressure on our few tertiary instead especially,the universities. One remarkable thing worth capturing is that policy which was termed one region one polytechnic. The government made sure every region had a polytechnic institution.

Before 1992, Ghanaians rushed to other neighboring countries to seek for greener pastures but due to prudent economic measures,the economy of the country picked up quickly making it a model for some international institutions and citizens from our neighboring states started rushing down her to seek for economic survival.

Source: Ohenenana Obonti Krow/Spy News Agency