Amoakohene speaks on impact of transitional gaps on Ghana’s development
Ashanti Regional Minister, Dr Frank Amoakohene, has called for greater continuity in governance, saying Ghana’s development should not have to start from scratch every time there is a change of government.
According to him, successive administrations must develop the habit of completing and sustaining projects inherited from their predecessors, regardless of which political party initiated them.
Dr Frank Amoakohene assesses development projects in Ahafo Ano South West
Dr Amoakohene made the call at the commissioning of the newly completed Ashanti Regional Office of the Minerals Commission in Kumasi.
He said Ghana’s development challenges were not always due to a lack of ideas or resources but, in many cases, the failure to sustain projects and institutions beyond political and administrative transitions.
“The development of Ghana cannot begin all over again after every four years or after every eight years,” he said.
The regional minister said public projects such as hospitals, schools, roads, markets and offices should not be abandoned simply because they were initiated by a previous administration.
He stressed that maintaining continuity was critical to protecting public investments, strengthening institutions and ensuring value for money.
Dr Amoakohene commended President John Dramani Mahama for what he described as his commitment to completing legacy projects across the country.
He said the President had directed that 20 per cent of funds received under the Common Fund be reserved for completing abandoned or inherited projects in rural districts.
According to him, the initiative would cover legacy projects initiated under successive administrations, from the government of Ghana’s first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, to subsequent governments.
“This is what continuity in governance is about,” he said.
Dr Amoakohene also praised the Minerals Commission and the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources for ensuring that the regional office was completed despite funding challenges.
He said the two institutions could have allowed the project to remain abandoned but instead worked to mobilise the resources needed to finish it.
“This is what continuity in governance is about. We must take responsibility and ensure that projects that are beneficial to the people are completed,” he said.
He described the commissioning as more than the opening of a new office, saying it represented a broader commitment to strengthening public institutions, improving efficiency and professionalism, and making public services more accessible.
The facility, he added, would support decentralisation and contribute to more effective management of Ghana’s mineral resources.
The regional minister urged the Minerals Commission to make maintenance a priority to preserve the facility and ensure it serves its purpose for many years.
He noted that public infrastructure belongs to the state and the people and therefore requires collective responsibility to protect it.
Dr Amoakohene further said his office, located close to the new Minerals Commission facility, would monitor the maintenance of the building and encouraged the commission to maintain the standards set by the new infrastructure.
NA/VPO
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