I'm not reckless – Akufo-Addo

 

According to the President, his government has been accountable with regard to how it spends monies borrowed. 

Delivering the State of the Nation Address on Wednesday, March 8, President Akufo-Addo said his government only spent money on things that are urgent and necessary. 

“Mr Speaker, let me state emphatically that we have not been reckless in borrowing and in spending. It is worth noting that the debts we are servicing were not only contracted during the period of this administration.

“Mr Speaker, we have spent money on things that are urgent, to build roads and bridges and schools, to train our young people and equip them to face a competitive world,” the President said. 

However, President Akufo-Addo added that there is a lot government needs to do. 

With this, he thus courted the support of the citizenry to ensure the development of the country. 

“Considering the amount of work that still needs to be done on the state of our roads, the bridges that have to be built, considering the number of classrooms that need to be built, the furniture and equipment needs at all stages of education, considering the number of children who should be in school and are not, considering the number of towns and villages that still do not have access to potable water, I daresay no one can suggest we have over-borrowed or spent recklessly.”

Meanwhile, President Akufo-Addo assured that the government is on course to secure a deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) by the end of this month. 

“Mr Speaker, having reached the Staff Level Agreement on December 12, 2022, after five months of intense negotiations, and completion of most of the prior actions required under the Agreement, we are on course for the IMF Staff to present to the IMF Executive Board Ghana’s Programme request for a $3 billion Extended Credit Facility by the end of the month.

“Mr Speaker, the three-year IMF Programme, anchored on Government’s Post COVID-19 Programme for Economic Growth (PC-PEG), aims at restoring macroeconomic stability and debt sustainability, whilst protecting the vulnerable. 

“It is a strong reform programme, which relies on frontloaded fiscal measures to increase domestic resource mobilisation and streamline public expenditures to support inclusive growth and enhance social protection.”

SOURCE: myjoyonline.com

Hon Kwame Agbodza writes:

EXPOSING THE LIES BEHIND PRESIDENT AKUFO-ADDO'S CLAIM THAT HIS GOVERNMENT HAS CONSTRUCTED MORE ROADS THAN ANY GOVERNMENT UNDER THE 4TH REPUBLIC.

 

The claim by President Akufo-Addo in his SONA address that his government has constructed more roads than any other government under the fourth Republic is a barefaced lie not borne out by any fact.

 

 A careful scrutiny of his so-called record in the roads sector as contained in the annexed document presented to Parliament, exposes this lie.

 

1.  *Interchange Construction*

 

The claim that the Akufo-Addo government has constructed more Interchanges between (2017 - 2022), than the NDC (2009 - 2016), is an unfortunate fabrication that should not be peddled by no less a person than President Akufo-Addo. The attempt to expropriate for his government, the following projects, is most scandalizing and such dishonesty must be called out and condemned by all;

 

1.Pokuase Interchange

2.Tema Motorway Interchange Phase 1

3. Obetsebi Lamptey Interchange Phase 1

4. Flowerpot

5. Suhum Interchange

 

Funding for these projects was secured by the erstwhile Mahama/NDC administration, contracts signed and works ongoing before President Akufo-Addo and the NPP came into office in 2017. The Suhum Interchange project for instance was about 85% completed when the Mahama/NDC administration exited office in 2016. It is therefore disingenuous for the President to peddle such a confident lie and insist that this be recorded into the Hansard of Parliament as truth.

 

For emphasis, below are the facts as far as Interchange Construction by various regimes is concerned.

 

*Interchanges constructed under the NDC (2009 - 2016)*

● Kwame Nkrumah Circle

● Ring Road Flyover

●Kasoa Interchange

●Giffard Road

●Airport Hills

●Obetsebi Phase 1

●Pokuase Interchange

●Tema Motorway Interchange Phase 1

● Flowerpot

●Suhum Interchange

 

*Interchanges constructed under the NPP (2017 - 2022)*

 

●Tamale Interchange (completed)

●East Legon Underpass (completed)

● Nungua Interchange (Ongoing)

●Adjiringanor (Ongoing)

●PTC Interchange - Synohydro (Ongoing)

● Kpone Barrier, Dawhenya, Prampram and Savanah Interchanges (Not started)

●Obetsebi Lamptey Interchange - Phase 2 (Ongoing)

 

2. *New Roads*

Regarding the so-called detailed breakdown of new roads constructed by the NPP government, President Akufo-Addo after being badly exposed for lying in his 2022 SONA over so-called 10,000km of new road network in Ghana, this time around decided to put together a document which presents *asphaltic overlays, resealing, sectional rehabilitation, regravelling and even reshaping and pothole patching* as new roads constructed by his government betweent

2017 - 2022.

 

*The Facts*

 

A. *2022 document submitted to Parliamentary Select Committee on Roads and Highways*

 

●New Road Construction  - *68.50km*

● Total Road Works (asphalt overlay, construction, gravelling/regravelling, partial reconstruction, reconstruction, rehabilitation, resealing, spot improvement & upgrading)  - *4,263.37km*

 

B. *2023 Annexed document to SONA address*

 

● New Road Construction - *615.82km*

● Total Road Works (asphalt overlay, construction, gravelling/regravelling, partial reconstruction, reconstruction, rehabilitation, resealing, upgrading/surfacing) -  *11,974.96*

 

*QUESTIONS*

1. Where are the 547.32km of New Road Construction between 2022 and March, 2023?

 

2. Why is the figure for *Completed Projects* (Total Road Works) and *Periodic Maintenance*, between 2017 - 2022, the same *11,974.96 km*? Clearly, something does not add up!

 

*CONCLUSION*

● President Akufo-Addo's claim in 2022 that his government had constructed over 10,000km of new roads was a lie.

● The President clearly repeated this same lie in his SONA address to Parliament yesterday, because;

 

1. The annexed document submitted to Parliament yesterday, merely presents total road works (including asphalt overlays, resealing spot improvements etc) of 11,974.96km  between 2017 - 2022, as new roads. These are NOT new road constructions. Therefore,

President Akufo-Addo lied!

 

2. Their own document shows actual construction (new roads) of only 615.82km, between 2017 - 2022. Ghanaians are calling on them to show evidence of these new roads.

 

*Other Fabrications*

 

1. *Volta Region Roads*

 

The attached document peddled an absolute lie about supposed roads constructed in the Volta Region. Whereas a summary table showcases 15.52km of roads in the Volta Region, actual details under the Regional breakdown shows only *7km of actual construction* in the Volta Region ( Ho Main Road Dualization, Sokode - Civic Centre).

 

2. *Western Region roads*

 

Again, the Western Region summary of the annexed document showcases 67.50km of so-called new road constructions. But the detailed Regional breakdown shows a figure of *78.30km constructions*. This clearly does not add and only goes to confirm the fact that government is merely conjuring up figures.

 

3.*Bolgatanga-Bawku-Polimakom Road*

Another lie peddled in the said document is when the Bolgatanga - Bawku - Polimakom Road whose construction began under the erstwhile Mahama/NDC government, has been counted as part of a so-called 108.40km of *new road construction* in the Upper East Region. Nothing could be further from the truth than this. The truth of th matter is that, the Akufo-Addo government upon assumption of office in 2017, completely abandoned that project and left it to rot until the Brazil Contractor packed out of site.

 

The contractor only recently returned to site after several demonstrations against government. So how can that project be counted as a new road being constructed by the Akufo-Addo government?

 

4. *Cocoa Road Projects*

President Akufo-Addo was conveniently silent on the abandonment of several road projects, including the Eastern Corridor Road, Cocoa roads.

 

 On Cocoa roads, the roads Minister, Hon. Kwesi Amoako Atta disclosed at a meet the press on 22nd May, 2021 that government had awarded a total of 325 projects (4,853km) of cocoa roads at a cost of GHS15 billion. President Akufo-Addo conveniently chose not to mention a word about cocoa roads, knowing fully well that all these 325 projects (4,853km) have been abandoned completely.

 

*Hon. Kwame Governs Agbodza*

(Minority Chief Whip/Ranking Member, Roads and Highways Committee of Parliament).

-

Trooper Imoro Sheriff, the soldier killed in Ashaiman has been laid to rest in line with Islamic burial customs.

 

SOURCE: Ghana News Agency

- M.K Sports

Hughoton names Kpozo, Ashimeru & Painstil in Ghana for AFCON qualifiers. No local-based player named.

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