Parliament approves budget of roads ministry, others

Parliament has approved the budgetary allocation of GH¢2.2 billion to the Ministry of Roads and Highways to execute its programmes and activities for the year.

Out of the amount, GH¢1,393,735,839 will be pumped into the construction of roads and bridges, with the rest expected to go into road rehabilitation, road safety and environment and management and administration.

Moving the motion for the approval, the sector Minister, Mr Kwesi Amoako-Atta, said the political fortunes of the members of Parliament were tied to how well his outfit did in the year as the demands for roads kept increasing by the day.

Innovative ways

Mr Amoako-Atta said considering the quantum of arrears owed contractors, “the government was looking at innovative ways of financing road infrastructure”, including private sector participation and build, own, operate and transfer.

He indicated that the Road Fund could support the sector because it had cleared all its debt, adding that the $2 billion Sinohydro facility secured from the Chinese firm in exchange for bauxite worth the amount was also being utilised.

According to Mr Amoako-Atta, 62 projects under the Sinohydro arrangement would be rolled out next year, and reiterated that the government was committed to fixing the roads across the country and would leave no stone unturned to achieve the targets in 2020.

Road fund

Supporting the motion, the Ranking Member on the Committee and MP for Adaklu, Mr Kwame Agbodza, called on the government to exempt the Ghana Road Fund from its capping policy to allow the fund to raise the needed money to support road infrastructure in the country.

He said since coming into office, the government had taken GH¢2.2 billion from the fund, an amount that, he said, could have done a lot in the road sector.

Law House project

The House also approved a GH¢136.6 million budget projected for the Office of the Attorney-General and Ministry of Justice, a GH¢402 million budget for the Ministry of Transport and GH¢189 million for the Aviation Ministry for their activities next year.

Before approving the annual budget estimates for the Office of the Attorney-General and the Ministry of Justice, members of the House expressed grave concern over mass failures at the Ghana School of Law entrance examinations and delay in completing the Law House project which started about nine years ago.

Stressing the importance of the rule of law and fundamental freedoms and human rights, contributors called for a national conversation on the future of legal and medical education, and appealed to the Ministry of Finance to provide an additional amount of GH¢4 million to make up for the required GH¢10 million in the course of the year 2020 to complete and protect the Law House project.

The Minority Leader and MP for Tamale South, Mr Haruna Iddrisu, said to the Majority Leader and Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, "Leader, do something."

He stressed that it was very necessary to have the Law House project completed, a position which was earlier shared by Mr Kobina Tahir Hammond, the MP for Adansi Asokwa.

Other approvals

The House also approved the budget estimates of GH¢360.168 million for the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources; GH¢106.12 million for Ministry of Inner City and Zongo Development; GH¢745.887 million for the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, among others.