Prez Mahama inaugurates task force on priority projects

President John Dramani Mahama Thursday inaugurated a task force on government priority projects and charged the members to be transparent, follow laid-down procedures and look at best cost options for the projects.

He said contrary to suggestions that the work of the ‘wise men’ would conflict with that of ministers of state, the task force would rather "assist the ministers and work as a team".

The five-member task force has Mr Alban S.K. Bagbin, a Member of Parliament (MP) and former Minister of Health; Mr E.T. Mensah, an MP and former Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, and Mr Cletus Avoka, an MP and former Majority Leader in Parliament, as members.

Dr Stephen Adiyiya, a social development consultant, is the Co-ordinator, with Mr P.V. Obeng, a Senior Advisor to the President, as the Convener.

The members are to co-ordinate the realisation of priority objectives in the areas of education, healthcare and transport that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) promised Ghanaians in the run-up to the December 7, 2012 elections.

The projects in the educational sector, which include the construction of 200 community senior high schools (SHSs) and a university in the Eastern Region, will be spearheaded by Mr Avoka.
Regional hospitals, clinics and health centres are some of the projects to be executed in the health sector under the supervision of Mr Bagbin.

In the transport/aviation sector, the projects include the construction of a new international airport, the expansion of domestic airports and the construction of railways and roads. Mr Mensah is in charge of that sector.

Under their terms of reference, decisions on any of the projects are to be taken collectively with the input of sector ministers and technocrats at the various ministries.

Inaugurating the task force at the Flagstaff House yesterday, President Mahama said promises were made during the 2012 campaign and, therefore, the task force "is to co-ordinate the realisation of the key promises made to the electorate”.

"One of the key things for our government is for us to maintain our integrity as leaders and win the confidence of the people who elected us," he said.

The President said Mr Mensah, Mr Bagbin and Mr Avoka, who were the first to be named on the task force, had been called several names, such as 'the three wise men in Siberia', to suggest that their work would be a duplication.

He expressed the hope that four years from now when Ghanaians looked back they would realise that the formation of the task force on priority projects had been one of the important steps taken to achieve the manifesto promises of the NDC.

He said with the collective experience of the members, they would be able to succeed.

Touching on  education, President Mahama said 47 per cent of pupils could not get access to SHS due to lack of infrastructure and indicated that the construction of the 200 SHSs was an attempt to create more space to accommodate the pupils.

On healthcare, he said the lack of access to health centres, district and regional hospitals had affected health delivery, which called for an urgent action to improve the situation.

Mr Mahama said the aviation industry was growing, coupled with the crowding of the surroundings of the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) with buildings.

Therefore, he said, the country needed to put up another international airport and expand domestic ones.

The President said the formation of the task force was to avoid bureaucracy and facilitate the execution of the outlined projects to address the needs of the people.

Speaking on behalf of his colleagues, Mr Obeng said the members would employ openness, clarity of thought and sincerity in all their dealings.

Besides, he said, all projects would be subjected to the Public Procurement Law and other laid-down public procedures in the award and execution of projects.

Mr Obeng said the members had developed the rules of engagement, which included the formation of sub-task force committees on education, health and transport to be headed by the respective sector ministers.

He said the sector ministers would be co-opted members of the task force.

Story: Musah Yahaya Jafaru