We will have to interrogate NDC’s accusation of “26 ghost” projects - Bawumia

Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia says the claim by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) that a number of projects listed by government as infrastructure achievements do not exist should not be taken at face value.

“We need to interrogate that list”, he said, pointing out that the opposition party is “sometimes very economical with the truth”, “putting it mildly”.

The NDC on Monday listed some 26 projects it says do not exist or were stolen projects but which were among what government put out as either completed or ongoing projects it has achieved since taking over the reins of government.

But Dr. Bawumia who was guest on Peace FM’s Kokrokoo morning show on Tuesday, said even if the NDC claim was to be believed at all, that would only mean that 26 out of over 17,000 projects exist and translates into 99.9% accuracy.

While admitting some of the listed achievements by government may have been wrongly entered and need correction, including a bridge which actually exists but has been listed as existing in a different location, as well as an abandoned borehole water project at Kanda in Accra which should not have been entered, the relevance of the infrastructure delivery tracker should not be overlooked.

“…but if that is the case and you say 26 have problems, and we are going to interrogate that 26, that means you are saying that 99.9% of what we have done is correct. If you can only find 26 that are not correct, but those stand to scrutiny, 99.9%, now that is massive in terms of what you have been able to do for this country. We should not rubbish our things just for political expediency. This is new, the only country in Africa that has been able to bring this to bear to increase the transparency and accountability in government in our delivery of infrastructure.”

“When we next do the next budget, God willing, this tool is going to be very helpful for us, because if you are a ministry and you bring new projects, immediately we are going to go to the infrastructure tracker because you can tell from the tracker what is going on in education, what is going on in health, what is going on in agric and so on. We will be able to tell immediately and say why haven’t you finished these projects? Why would you want to start these ones… so in terms of our ability to monitor what is going on and for capital budgeting, something like this is going to be very useful. Someone could come and tell you I’ve don abc, you look at it, put it on the website so you say no, it hasn’t been done. There is a lot of accountability, a lot of transparency. You cannot go and put it out if you don’t think it is correct, you must believe that it is correct, so that is the transparency. Of course of there has being mismatch of entries you’ll correct them and as you go you’ll perfect everything but there is now, you cannot run away from the fact that under this NPP government, under the leadership of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, we are bringing in a lot of transparency in government and this is part of the transparency that we are bringing in.”

Below is NDC’s list of 26 NPP projects it says are “ghost” or “stolen” projects

1. Bawumia’s claim at page 41 of his speech that this government is constructing 13 housing units at Sekondi (Ituma Estate) which is about 70% complete is a figment of his own imagination as same does not exist anywhere in the Sekondi metropolis.

2. Bawumia’s claim at page 41 of his speech that this government is constructing 500 housing units at Sefwi Wiawso which is 20% complete is palpable falsehood, as no such project exist.

3. The claim at page 40 of Bawumia’s speech that this government is constructing 120 affordable housing units in the Talensi District of the Upper East region which is 20% complete is yet another lie, as no such project exist.

4. Dromankese town roads in the Bono East region have not been tarred as claimed by government’s “delivery tracker”. This is a big insult to the Chiefs and people of Dromankese in the Nkoranza area of the Bono East Region who are enduring untold hardship due to the poor nature of their roads.

5. The claim on government’s “delivery tracker” that this government has rehabilitated the Anyinabrem Primary School in the Sefwi Wiawso Municipality is yet another lie. No such rehabilitation has been undertaken at the said school.

6. The claim on government’s delivery tracker that the Akufo Addo-government has constructed an Astroturf in the Adenta constituency is another palpable falsehood, as no such project exists on the ground.

7. The claim on government’s delivery tracker of complete electrification of Ananekrom and Pataban townships in the Asante Akyem North Constituency of the Ashanti region is a lie. No such project has been undertaken by this government, as the two towns don’t have electricity as we speak.

8. The claim on government’s delivery tracker of having constructed the Asuoso-Derma-Techimantia road in the Bono East Region as captured by government’s delivery tracker is yet another palpable falsehood, as no such road exists anywhere in the referenced area.

9. The claim on government’s delivery tracker about Re-roofing of cluster of schools at Akanteng in the Eastern region is a lie. No such project has been undertaken by this government.

10. The claim on government’s delivery tracker about an ongoing 1D1F Palm Oil Processing factory in West Akim is a lie. No such project exist.

11. The claim on government’s delivery tracker about an ongoing construction of solar powered water system at Dindani in the East Mamprusi Municipality (Nalerigu/Gambaga) is a lie. No such project can be found in and around Dindani.

12. The claim on the delivery tracker about ongoing construction of a water system at Zangu-Vuga in the East Mamprusi Municipality (Nalerigu/Gambaga) is a lie. As a matter of fact, Zangu-Vuga is in the West Mamprusi Municipality and not East Mamprusi Municipality as claimed. But yet again, there is no such project in Zangu-Vuga in the West Mamprusi Municipality (Walewale) as claimed. Ladies and gentlemen, it is instructive to note that, even in Walewale, the Vice President’s hometown, Dr. Bawumia is conjuring nonexistent projects which is an insult to his own kinsmen and people.

13. The claim on government’s delivery tracker that government has constructed and completed a 1V1D project at Zandua in the West Mamprusi Municipality is false, as no such community exists in the West Mamprusi Municipality.

14. The claim about an ongoing construction of a six (6) seater toilet block for St. Thomas Senior High/Tech at Asamankese in West Akim Municipality is another ghost project, as nothing like that exist on the ground.

15. The claim that there is an ongoing construction of a 12-unit classroom block for Pentecost SHS at Akropong in the Akuapem North Municipality is false, as no such project exist.

16. The claim of having completed a 10-seater toilet facility at Ahibenso in Bodi District is a lie, as no such project exist.

17. Also, the claim that this government has completed the Construction of 1 NO. 6 Units Classroom Block with Auxiliary Facilities at Debiso in the Bia West constituency is a lie, as no such project exist.

18. The claim of having completed the construction of a 16-seater water closet and 4 shower facility in selected communities in Bia West is also a lie, as no such project exist.

19. The claim about ongoing construction of a 2-storey dormitory block for Ghana Senior High School at Damango in the West Gonja Municipality is a fabricated lie, as no such school exists.

20. The claim about construction of a 6-unit classroom block at Jamara in the Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa Constituency is a lie, as no such project exist.

21. No Power Supply System at Afofosu in the Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa Constituency exist contrary to claims by government’s delivery tracker.

22. The claim of a 10-seater WC toilet at Anwhiam in the Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa Constituency does not exist.

23. The claim of a 10-seater WC toilet at Asikuma is a palpable lie.

24. The claim of Abamkrom Clinic in the Agona West Constituency of the Central region as contained on government’s delivery tracker is a ghost project.

25. The claim by the so-called delivery tracker that the Akufo-Addo government has completed the construction of the Anum Primary school at Anum Apapam in the Asuogyaman District in the Eastern region is a lie. There is no town in Asuogyaman called Anum Apapam, and there is no block constructed by the NPP in Anum Presbyterian Primary School at the Anum that we know in Asuogyaman.

26. The Claim of construction works at Dabala market is a lie. There is no such construction work ongoing in the Dabala market as claimed by the NPP on their website.