‘Tema interchange is Mahama’s project’ – Minority set records straight

The Minority in Parliament has described as shameful, plans by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) led by President Akufo-Addo to take credit for the newly constructed Tema interchange.

The project, financed by the Japanese government at an estimated cost of $57 million and initiated by the erstwhile Mahama administration, is expected to be officially opened to traffic this weekend but not without controversies.

The Akufo-Addo government, which supervised the construction of the interchange, has claimed ownership of the infrastructure, with NPP apparatchiks running with it both on traditional and social media as an NPP project.

But Ranking Member on Roads and Transport Committee of Parliament, Kwame Agbodza Governs, has set records straight, indicating that the project is a brain child of the John Dramani Mahama administration.

The Adaklu Legislator noted that the project was part of a “master plan” by the previous National Democratic Congress (NDC) Government to ease congestion in Accra, especially on that stretch leading to Akosombo and the Volta region.

“John Mahama was implementing a Master Plan to ease congestion in our cities. In line with this, he initiated a plan to tie the MPS Port expansion Project with the Reconstruction of the Accra-Tema Motorway with interchanges,” he disclosed.

decided to seek donor support from the Japanese government, which involved a three-tier Interchange at the Tema end of the Motorway, adding “The Japanese generously agreed to support Ghana and initiated the process of Building the Interchange.”

The Facts

Although the signing of the Grant Aid Agreement was signed under the Akufo-Addo government, the Minority hastened that “It must be on record that, in some cases, it takes up to 6 years for projects underJICA to become fully operational unless it is a phase of an ongoing project.”

Listing the sequence of events leading to the realization of the project, he stated that “On 01/09/2016 -Preparatory Survey Report (Draft Report) was submitted… On November 2016-Design Outline Mission Team from JICA visits Ghana to validate the proposals and confirm support for the project.”

He added, "On 03/04/2017 – Preparatory Final Report submitted by CTI Engineering… On 31/03/2017 – Grant Aid Agreement Signed. This signing is only Consequential since the project has already been approved.”

Criticising President Akufo Addo for “consistently” taking credit for “strategic projects initiated by his predecessors and like the proverbial ostrich, turn round to accuse his ‘benefactor’ of incompetence,” Mr Agbodza observed the ruling party’s attempt to take glory for the interchange and other projects was “shameful”.

Below is the statement