NDC failed to give value for money on projects – Danquah Institute boss

Executive Director of the Danquah Institute, Richard Ahiagba has accused the National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration of not providing value for money on some of the infrastructural projects including interchanges that were undertaken during their term in office.

Mr Ahiagba said on TV3’s New Day Wednesday, August 19 that an interchange was constructed to the tune of $260 million, an amount he said was way above the right amount.

This, he said, smacks of “tragedy”, and “crime of historic proportion”.

Mr Ahiabga was contributing to a discussion on the virtual Town Hall meeting that was addressed by Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia on Tuesday, August 18 at the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences in Accra.

Mr Ahiagba said: “Ask the NDC, how in the name of God are you able to build one interchange at $260 million. What was going on? What went into that negotiation?

“This is tragedy, this is a crime of historic proportion if we are not able to explain this.”

For his part, the Member of Parliament for Tamale North Constituency, Alhassan Sayibu Suhuyini, said the records of former President John Mahama in the area of infrastructure scares the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP).

He said the NPP are aware of the disappointment of Ghanaians in the current government following, in his view, the low levels of infrastructural development they have seen over the past three-and-a-half years.

Therefore, he said, the government is making every attempt to discredit Mr Mahama and his party, the NDC, ahead of this year’s polls.

“Former President John Mahama is going into this year’s elections as someone who has done it before.

“The 2020 elections to every Ghanaian is going to be between someone who did it before and the one who has done nothing.

“The NPP are aware because when they go on the ground they hear the people talk about and testify about the projects that were ongoing in their communities or the projects that were completed in their communities.

“And sometimes the pain with which the people speak about this government, I am sure, frightens the average researcher in the NPP.”

During the event, Dr Bawumia said, among other things, that the current government has undertaken more infrastructural projects than the previous administration.

He said since 2017, the government of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has initiated 17,334 infrastructural projects in this country,

“Of these, we have completed 8,746 and there is 8,588 ongoing,” Dr Mahamudu Bawumia said.

He further revealed that the Akufo-Addo administration is adopting a two-way approach towards infrastructural development in the country.

This approach makes it possible to cover all persons in the country under the project.

“Our focus has been to provide infrastructure for all. That has been the focus. And our approach to infrastructural development in Ghana has been two-fold.”