The Ministry of Roads and Highways has responded to accusations that it had reallocated funds intended for the construction of a bridge and certain roads in the Eastern Region’s Afram Plains.
Betty Nana Efua Krosbi Mensah and Joseph Appiah Boateng, Members of Parliament for Afram Plains North and South, said that the administration had proposed using the monies for construction work on the Accra-Kumasi motorway rather than Adawso-Bunso to Ekye-Amanfrom.
They claimed that the relocation would have an impact on the area’s food-producing capacity.
In response, the Ministry of Roads and Highways called the MPs’ charges “misleading and false.”
“The Ministry wishes to state that the joint statement is misleading and that the Members of Parliament could have easily sought the necessary clarification from the Ministry. The allegation by the Members of Parliament against the Ministry is biased and cannot, therefore, be accurate,” the Ministry said in its statement.
The Ministry indicated that the government expected two components of the project, totaling €350 million, to be completed concurrently, but it was unable to finalise the financial agreement for the project.
The Ministry blamed the government’s inability to reach financial agreements on the ongoing debt restructuring process.
“It was expected that the two components of the project, with a total cost of €350 million, will be executed concurrently and be completed in thirty (30) months subject to the successful completion of the financing arrangement. It is in light of this that the Government allocated about US$98 million under the US$750 million African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) Loan as a contribution to the road contract component after one of the financiers declined to participate in the financial arrangement.”
The Ministry of Roads and Highways further stressed, “It is important to state that due to the current debt restructuring exercise, Government has not been able to conclude the arrangement of the financing for the project.”
According to the Ministry, the government has decided to apply the Afreximbank allocation to the Accra-Kumasi corridor.
“This has informed Government’s prudent decision to apply the allocation under the Afreximbank facility to the equally important Accra-Kumasi corridor,” it said.
According to the Ministry, the government has opted to apply the Afreximbank facility allocation to the Accra-Kumasi corridor.
“The re-allocation will be applied to specifically the Apedwa to Ejisu section of the Accra – Kumasi Road. This stretch goes through major towns such as Osino, Anyinam, Enyiresi, Nkawkaw and Konongo in the Eastern and Ashanti Regions. It is common knowledge that sections of the road within these towns are usually marked with heavy traffic congestion causing a lot of delays, accidents, pedestrian-related crashes and increased travel time,” the Ministry of Roads and Highways explained in its statement.
The Ministry explained the decision as being in the best interests of Ghanaians, urging them to work with the Ministry to enhance the national road network.
“The Ministry wishes to assure the good people of the Afram Plains area, including the Honourable Members for the Afram Plains, and the general public that the decision taken is in the interest of the general welfare of the people of Ghana. The government is committed to addressing their road network challenges and encourages all to cooperate with the Ministry as we strive to improve upon the national road network,” the Ministry urged.
