The NPP government deceived the King and the people of Gonjaland for votes in elections 2020

Water, they say, is life. He who gives water gives life. He who denies water denies life.

Background to the Damongo Water Crisis:

The lack of potable water has been, and still is, the single most precious necessity of the good people of Gonjaland, especially in West and Central Gonja Districts. This necessity of life has eluded the people of these two

Districts for decades. They have endured one water crisis after the other. Previous governments did not do much to alleviate the water crises. Since the breakdown of the Damongo Water Treatment plant decades ago, there has

not been a serious effort to repair, restore, rebuild, or construct a new water treatment facility for Damongo.

The King’s vulnerability:

The Yegbonwura, King of Gonjaland, and the people of Gonjaland would give anything and would do everything to get clean drinking water. They would swing their allegiance to a political party that assures them, by way of a promise, to make potable water accessible and available to them. They would promise to deliver votes, massively, for the saviour that would bring relief to their eternal suffering, i.e., thirst, thirst, thirst. The King would do anything to solve this problem. He would even impress on his subjects to vote against their will in favour of anyone who would help put the water crisis to bed.

The King and the people of this large segment of Gonjaland are visibly vulnerable to any politician who comes to engage in political romance and a charm offensive with the view to solving the water crisis for good. For that,

they are an easy prey. The predator, they say, hits its vulnerable prey where it hurts most.

How the NPP deceived the King and his People:

This was the strategy the NPP government used to cajole the King and the good people of Gonjaland to dump the NDC and to switch their long-standing allegiance from the NDC to the NPP in the elections 2020. The day was a Wednesday, the date was the 29th day of July, and the year was 2020, a leap year. On that day, the

eminent King of Gonjaland and his subjects had the honour of hosting President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the “saviour,” the man who would bring potable water to the Kingdom. On that day, Wednesday, 29th July 2020, President Nana Akufo-Addo called on the King and the people of Gonjaland to cut the sod for the

construction of the Damongo Water Supply Project.

In President Nana Akufo-Addo’s own words, he said the following, in quotes:

“I indicated that one of the reasons for the creation of the new Regions was to accelerate the process of development to all parts of the country. So, you can understand my excitement at the commencement of the Damongo Water Supply Project, because the pledge of extending development to all parts of Ghana is

unfolding.”

To the above statement, the President received wild applause from the King and the people of Gonjaland. Then, the President continued: “In recognition of these difficulties, as well as the result of population growth and the new status of Damongo as the capital of the Savannah Region, the government has decided to provide a befitting Water Supply System to ensure the supply of reliable potable water to meet the water demands of Damongo and its environs, for the rapid development of the Savannah Region,” he said.

The King and the people of Gonjaland were excited about the President’s promise to deliver potable water to that part of Gonjaland. Then the President proceeded, “Government has secured a credit facility of forty-nine million United States dollars (US$49,000,000.00) from the UK Export Finance and Deutsche Bank AG.”

The construction of the Damongo Water Supply System, he explained, is aimed at meeting the water demands for Damongo and its surrounding communities until 2040, in line with Government Policy, with the Water Supply System projected to serve a population of some 68,000 people, with an expected average water demand

of about eight thousand, eight hundred (8,800) cubic metres per day.

The Project, upon completion, will, in addition to the Damongo township, supply potable water to the following communities: Yipala, Banyasi, Ntereso, Fulfoso, Sumpini, Busunu, Kebiesu, Tailorpe, Alhassan Kura, Jonokponto, Achubunyo, Soalepe, Canteen, Frafra Settlement No.3, Boroto, and Nabori.

President Akufo-Addo was confident that the project will help alleviate poverty, and improve the living standards of the beneficiary communities, as the Region can boast of key tourist attractions such as the Mole National Park, Larabanga Mosque and the Mystic Stone.

Further, the President added: “I entreat the beneficiary communities to help guarantee the sustainability and protection of this infrastructure. The government will continue to provide socio-economic infrastructure across the country so that all Ghanaians can fulfil the dreams and aspirations of our forebears, who envisioned us to be a free, democratic, prosperous and happy Ghana,” he added.

At this statement from the President, the Jakpa Palace lit up in euphoria with broad smiles on every face. Then Nana Akufo-Addo added the following assurance:

“The Damongo Water Project will ensure that improved water supply, in terms of quality, quantity and reliability, is easily accessible to the people of Damongo and surrounding communities... I urge the contractor, the renowned Biwater International Limited, to complete this project on schedule, and help deliver potable water to the beneficiary towns and communities,” he added.

Elections 2020 were Close, the Big Lie:

President Nana Akufo-Addo made all the above statements, in quotes, on 29th July 2020. He assured the King and the people of Gonjaland that he and his NPP government had already received, and secured US$49,000,000 from foreign credit partners for the Damongo Water Supply Project.

Since that rhetoric on 29th July 2020, it has been three and half years and absolutely nothing has happened in Damongo. No water supply project has started, and nothing has been constructed. Not even a cutlass has been put to the ground at the project site in Damongo, although US$49,000,000 had been received, and secured for the project.

So, what happened to the US$49,000,000 that was meant for the project? Has the money been spent on water projects in other parts of Ghana or has it been misapplied on other issues or has it been shared among who and who? As Ghanaians are aware, Millions of US Dollars in cash were recently found in the bedrooms of some NPP government Ministers.

How the NPP deceived the King and the people of Gonjaland in 2020:

The simple fact is that, capitalizing on the vulnerabilities of Gonja West and Central Districts, and potable water, the NPP government intentionally Deceived the King and the people of Gonjaland to vote massively for the NPP in the 2020 elections. The King and the people of Gonjaland kept their promise to switch their votes from the NDC to the NPP because the NPP won the West Gonja Parliamentary seat in the 2020 elections. The NPP government used lies to deceive the King and the people of Gonjaland, that the days of water crises were over.

Another big lie awaits the King and the People of Gonjaland in 2024:

The 2024 elections are approaching. The NPP government will return to the King and the people of Gonjaland to deceive them again to vote for their Presidential and Parliamentary Candidates. They will try to bring a few tools and machinery to the project site to deceive the King and the people that they are now serious about implementing the water supply project. They will determine all manner of reasons why they did not start the project for the past four years. They will spend a paltry amount to hire an excavator to go to the project site to start digging and will bring their Presidential and Parliamentary Candidates to the King and the people of Gonjaland to say they are serious this time, about implementing the Damongo Water Supply project.

The NPP government will not be able to implement the Damongo Water projects, because the government is broke, bankrupt, and cannot get funding from anywhere to implement the project. For the next three (3) years, while Ghana is under the IMF US$3 Billion loan administration, it is prohibited to seek new foreign loans for these projects or similar ones, according to the IMF’s Articles VIII of the IMF Articles of Arrangement.

This article states, among others, that “No conclusion of bilateral payments agreements inconsistent with Article VIII of the IMF Articles of Arrangement by a country that is under an IMF loan and its administration. Ghana

currently is under the IMF’s administration because of the US$3 Billion bailout loan we are receiving. The IMF loan is not meant for the Damongo Water Supply project, so the NPP government cannot use a part of it for that purpose. It is interesting to note that the main purpose of the IMF loan is to “restore macroeconomic stability and debt sustainability.” The IMF is currently the superior de facto body that is managing Ghana’s economy and finances.

It is interesting to note that, this IMF law also prohibits the Ghana government from issuing sovereign guarantees for any form of loans from foreign or domestic sources. In addition, the NPP government is not permitted by the IMF to engage in quantitative easing to finance projects such as the Damongo Water Supply

project. Therefore, the NPP government cannot implement this project in 2024 and 2025. Any new promise that the NPP government and their Presidential and Parliamentary Candidates will make to the King and the people of Gonjaland relating to the Damongo Water Project will be another deception. Hopefully, the Yegbonwura and the good people of Gonjaland have learnt a lesson or two from the NPP government’s magical lies.