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Two Members of Parliament (MPs) from the Afram Plains have accused the government of diverting $98 million intended for the construction of the Adawso-Ekyi Amanfrom-Donkorkrom roads. In a joint statement, the MPs, Betty Nana Efua Krosbi Mensah and Joseph Appiah Boateng, also claimed that the government was planning to use the approved funds for constructing by-passes on the Accra-Kumasi highway from Osino to Konongo.
The MPs addressed the Parliamentary Press Corps, stating that the government’s decision would deprive the people of Afram Plains of their share of the national cake and worsen their living conditions because of the poor state of the roads.
In response to these allegations, the Public Relations Unit of the Ministry of Roads and Highways clarified that the project consisted of two contracts. The first contract was for the construction of Bunso Adawso and specified approach roads to the Adawso bridge.
The second was for the design and construction of the Adawso bridge. The Ministry of Roads and Highways further stated that the two components of the project would cost €350 million and would be executed concurrently and completed in 30 months, subject to the successful completion of the financing arrangement.
The statement from the Roads Ministry explained that the road contract was tied to the bridge contract to realize the full benefit of the project.
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. However, due to the current debt restructuring exercise, the government has not been able to conclude the financing arrangement for the project. Despite this, the government is currently undertaking a number of road projects to improve the state of roads in the Afram Plains area.
source:locotvgh.com