The tendency to abandon developmental projects - started by previous administrations - mostly fed by political rivalry and the fear that the completion of such projects might enhance the image of one's political opponents and win credit for them, has been a subject of discussion since time immemorial; but was re-ignited earlier this week.
In an era where a political party that has tasted power can be satirized and accused of having achieved nothing, even if when in power, that party went ahead to complete its opponent’s initiatives, devaluing or discrediting their contribution becomes routine.
Sadly, the debate over which administration can best lay claim to the completion of a particular development project and also accusations of abandonment of state projects; for the reasons enumerated above, was stoked on Peace FM's 'Kokrokoo' program, Wednesday.
Euroget funded health facilites and the Bank of Ghana Hospital were at the heart of the discussion with the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) claiming "ownership" of such health projects.
The NDC is crediting former President John Dramani Mahama for securing funds for the construction and completion of the projects, but the ruling party is in absolute disagreement over the NDC's claims.
With the back and forth altercation over the Euroget and BoG hospitals, though needless, the question on the hearts of many Ghanaians is which adminstration funded and saw these projects through from the stage of construction to completion?
Abdul Malik Kweku Baako sought to put finality to the issue. But a bit of a historical background should suffice.
Contract
Euroget De-Invest, an Egyptian company, was contracted by the Government of Ghana in 2008 to put up nine hospitals, including a Military hospital in Kumasi, Ashanti Region.
Sources indicate that under the provision of the contract, the entire project should have been completed within three years of commencement at the cost of $519 million.
The projects included the construction of a 160-bed Regional hospital at Wa in the Upper West, a 60-bed district hospital for Salaga in the Northern Region, a 60-bed district hospital at Tepa in the Ashanti Region, a 60-bed district hospital for Nsawkaw in Brong-Ahafo Region and a 500-bed Military hospital in Kumasi.
There was also to be a 60-bed district hospital for Konongo and a 250-bed hospital in the Ashanti Region and the rest are a 100-bed district hospital for Madina and a 60-bed hospital for the Twifo-Praso District in the Greater Accra and Central Regions.
All these are in the name of the Ministry of Health.
Ownership of Euroget Health Facilities
Speaking to host Kwami Sefa Kayi on Wednesday edition of Peace FM's 'Kokrokoo' program, the Editor-in-Chief of the New Crusading Guide, Abdul Malik Kweku Baako, disclosed that the process for the Euroget funded hospitals that the NDC is claiming 'ownership' of in their Green Book and manifesto, actually commenced under the regime of former President John Agyekum Kufour.
Corroborating his revelations with a pile of documents, Mr. Baako disclosed that former President Kufour secured a loan agreement for the Euroget projects but his government was voted out of power before he could see to its possible commencement and completion.
The change of government passed the mandate to the NDC to oversee the execution of the projects, he noted.
Kweku Baako acknowledged the contributions of the late former President John Evans Atta Mills who ensured continuity of the projects, but later, he stated, it came to a standstill upon his unfortunate demise.
"There's no doubt and it's well documented that cabinet and Parliamentary approval of the credit facility agreement or if you like the loan agreement for this Euroget projects was done during the Kufour administration . . . Parliamentary records will show that activity, that's where it begins," he said.
Completion Levels of Euroget Projects
According to him, the Mills/Mahama government rather gave consent to the implementation of the projects that had already gained Parliamentary approval under the Kufour government.
The seasoned journalist further revealed that the John Mahama administration might not have even funded the projects.
"I'm not even too sure whether we can put it that way because if Government of Ghana secured funding, it should have gone to Parliament. Nothing of that sought happened. What the cabinet did was to give the consent to Euroget that they can mandate Absa to raise the funding and Euroget's difficulty was not only the Arab Spring. Some emanated from Ghana," he clarified.
Akufo-Addo's Role In Euroget
The New Crusading Guide Editor-in-Chief then pointed out that it took President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to secure funds for the continuity of the projects; listing their various stages of completion currently.
"The Wa 160-bed Upper West Regional hospital has been completed 100 percent and handed over. The 100-bed Ga East Municipal hospital has also been completed 100% and handed over. The 60-bed district hospital, Tepa, is 80%; anticipated completion date is August 2020," he emphasized adding that the 60-bed district hospital for Konongo and Salaga district hospitals will be completed in December 2020 and February 2021 respectively."
The other hospitals, he noted, are also near completion.
Listen to Kweku Baako making his point in the video below
Enter Bank of Ghana Hospital
Kweku Baako highlighted that the NDC cannot make claims to the Bank of Ghana hospital either because the first and second phases of the project were completed under the Akufo-Addo administration.
"Finally, Bank of Ghana hospital, as I've said over and over, had nothing to do with the central government . . . It begun in March 2014 but the first phase was completed on 30th August, 2018 and completion of the second phase in November 2019.....My goodness! The two phases were to be functionally integrated and I have all the documents here, official Bank of Ghana documents!"
Neglect of Mahama hospitals
He said contrary to NDC's accusations that the President has left the hospitals to rot, Mr. Baako stated categorically that none of the hospitals including the district hospitals and ten (10) Polyclinics in the Central Region that were established under the Mahama regime have been abandoned by President Akufo-Addo.
"None of them had been abandoned . . . They started the projects January 2016. They got completed April 2018. These are the records. Start date was January 2016, anticipated completion date was January 2018 but works completed and commissioned for use in August 2018 rather . . . That also is the principle of continuity; so the question of abandoning Mahama projects then is fallacious.
"When the Mahama administration was exiting, only one had been completed. That is Dodowa...it was completed and opened for use under the Mahama administration," he stated clearly.
Mr Baako therefore wondered why the NDC is fighting so hard for exclusive credit over the Euroget projects and specifically the Bank of Ghana hospital, when records clearly indicate the genesis of these developmental initiatives.
"What has happened to the NDC people was that they sought exclusive credit in their manifesto, in their Green Book; everywhere on Euroget. They want everything to themselves and that's where the fallacy was," he added.
Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana
Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. |
Well we are not going to fly on AIRBUS with incompetent pilot through DUMSOR to IMF again when little babies 👶 with sharp teeth 🦷 on board and land us on Woyomey’s backyard. I know there could be FORD to take us by land but we would have preferred BUS BRANDING driven by Ativor in the middle of BERKO POWER BRIBERY CRISIS so I decree like the Jews said never again to ndc. NDC YAAMUTU NDC YAAMUTU NDC YAAMUTU NDC YAAMUTU NDC YAAMUTU NDC YAAMUTU NDC YAAMUTU NDC YAAMUTU NDC YAAMUTU NDC YAAMUTU NDC YAAMUTU NDC YAAMUTU
GHANA POLITICS IS ALWAYS VALUELESS TO ME JUST BECAUSE WE ARE ALWAYS DIVIDED IN EVERYTHING.TH-IE-VE-S HAVE INVADED GOVERMENT BANKS,LET US CREATE,LOOT,SHARE,BUILD HOTELS AND SEND OUR CHILDREN TO FOREIGN SCHOOLS.GOD BLESS AUSTRIANS FOR TAKING CARE OF ME AND MY CHILDREN. BLACK MENTALITY-SHAME UNTO NDC FOR ONLY MESSING UP GHANA,s ECONOMY FOR EIGHT YEARS
See who call himself Chartered accountant😳😳😳😳😳 you can’t even account for your daily bread. Go and sleep
so where are the npp communicators? is that they were ***barred word*** of all these or simply incompetent? you allowed the ndc to churn this lies out in the public domain without counteracting it all this while but for Kwaku Baako. we have people like Franklin Cudjoe also churning out these lies and nobody could challenge him, but i blame the minister and his assistants for keeping this information away from the communicators. if you people continue to bury your heads in the sand and think that Ghanaians are discerning or awhini pa nkasa like you did in Kuffour's time, you will wake up in 2021 and lough at the wrong side of your mouths. the ndc should have been silenced with the facts the very moment they opened their mouths to make these false claims.
I hope these NDC guys will read and revise their notes. 1. Construction and Equipping of 10 Polyclinics in the Central Region They are located in the following towns; Besease, Gomoa Dawurampong, Biriwa, Sunkwa, Birempong Agya, Gyamera, Mankron, Ekumfode, Ekumfi Naakwa and Gomoa These projects were initiated by the NDC in 2016 but were completed by NPP in 2018. 2. Upgrade and Rehabilitation of Tamale Teaching Hospital. Phase 2 of this project began in 2015 and was supposed to be completed in December, 2018. It has duly been completed by NPP and commissioned by Health Minister. 3. Construction and Equipping on 597 Bed UG Medical Centre. JM couldn’t complete even the Phase 1 of this project but the NPP inherited, completed and operationalized it. We have also secured funding for Phase 2 which is ongoing. Project expected to be completed and fully operationalized by October, 2020. 4. Construction of Offices and Ministry of Health Headquarters. This was inherited and completed by NPP. The ministry have now be relocated into its new headquarters close the NHIS headquarters at Ridge. 5. Expansion of Radiotherapy Medical Services at Korle Bu and Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospitals. This project was abandoned before we assumed office. Funding arrangement were reengaged and the project has resumed. It’s expected to be completed by end of this year. 6. Construction of 2 Regional and 6 District Hospitals by Eurojet These were projects initiated by Prez Kuffour. Work commenced between 2009-16 but none of these 8 projects were completed by NDC in 8yrs. When we assumed office we had to reengage the contractors Currently, we have commissioned and operationalized the Wa Regional Hospital, – The Ga East District Hospital also in operation (Which is now the National COVID-19 treatment centre in Accra) – All other sites like Twifo Praso, Konongo, Odumase, Nsorkor, Tepa and Salaga are still in progress. Tepa and Nsorkor are to be completed by close of June and November, 2020. 7. Construction of 8 District Hospital and Integrated IT Systems in Ghana. These projects located in Wa, Fomena, Kumawu, Abetifi, Garu Tempani, Sekondi, and Takoradi were abandoned in July, 2016. Only the Dodowa project was completed by the NDC. We did a value for money audit which revealed that money spent was far in excess of work done. We have written to attorney general to terminate these contract based on auditors recommendations. So let it be on record that no project of the NDC has been abandoned the NPP administration. We will also make available hospital projects initiated and completed by the NPP since January, 2017 to date. Challenge the Sammy Gyamfi and NDC the published the list of 3,000 Chip Compounds they claim it was built be JM with their locations.
Absurd question journalists asked. Why Nana government couldn't complete the hospitals. Frankly,8yrs Mahama/Ndc couldn't complete those hospitals Kuffour left now how can Nana takes 3 years to complete them. Besides Ndc should change the current strategies of lies and propaganda and educate us comprehensively on issues confronting the nation
Public Financial Management expert and you are so ***barred word***? What kind of financial expertise is that? Only in the NDC. God save Ghana!
BoG hospital is a legacy of John Mahama and no one can take it away. I am an Accountant in the public service. All capital expenditure projects in public institutions including BOG are approved by the Minister of Finance. Since the hospital was approved by the Terkper who happened to be the Finance Minister then, logically we could say it is NDC legacy. In the same vein all ongoing projects currently going on in Public Institutions can be credited to Nana Addo. No one can take this away from him. Mr Baako leave this hospital issue to we experts in Public Financial Management.
ei NDC AND LIES, I ALWAYS SAID TO MYSELF SAYING THAT I DONT BELIEVE NDC BUILT THESE HOSPITALS THEY ARE TAKING ABOUT, NOW YOU SEE THEY HAVE EXPOSED, WHOOOOOOOOOOO AND SHAME UNTO NDC THE THIE-VES PARTY
Thank you For Awesome Post thanks For Sharing. send free sms