Release audit reports on road projects - NDC

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Volta Region has challenged government to release audit reports on road projects in the country awarded under the John Mahama administration to justify its delay in completing them.

Mr Kafui Agbleze, Regional Communications Director of the Party, at a press conference in Ho, said government after assumption of office placed all contracts on hold citing contract inflation by the previous administration.

He alleged that US$10 million was spent on the audits, an action he described as “bad policy decision” causing the nation to suffer consequences of bad roads for three years since the New Patriotic Party (NPP) took office.

“You will recall in 2017, after the NPP government led by Nana Addo assumed office, they put on hold all road projects that were under construction by the previous government with the sole aim of auditing the road contracts that were awarded under the Mahama led government because the Nana Addo led NPP thought the projects were inflated."

“Ladies and gentlemen, which company exists in the world that when one wants to audit, the company has to stop work for the auditing to be done. This only exists under Nana Addo who claimed to be in a hurry."

“What we know as best practice is that work continues while auditors carry on with their work and if there are adverse findings with the work those found culpable are surcharged”.

He said it was unfortunate that though government spent over USD10 million on the audit, it had no report to show Ghanaians, saying, "what we know is only the Roads Minister coming out to say that there has been no adverse findings or inflation of any cost of road projects awarded by the previous government".

Mr Agbleze demanded that government made public its findings because the audit was conducted with taxpayers’ money.

He mentioned some roads constructed or started during the Mahama administration, which had been abandoned and left to further deteriorate.

Mr Agbleze said the decision to patch potholes on roads to be used by the President during his tour of the Volta Region meant "people in the Region are undeserving of using roads without potholes”.

The Communications Director said contrary to claims that the Mahama government did little as far as roads were concerned, a good number of roads were completed in almost all districts and municipalities in the Region.

Mr Agleze accused the NPP government of also abandoning other major social intervention projects in the Region, notably the Adidome water project, denying many communities in the five districts it would serve, potable water.

He said other projects in health had been left hanging, and also pointed to the completed abattoir at Sokode, near Ho, which he said had been left to rot, as well as the Ho Airport.

Mr Agbleze noted that government still could not point to a single project in the Region under its flagship One District One Factory policy initiative.

“The Nana Addo led government cannot point to any major project in the Volta Region during his three years so far in government. This is amply demonstrated by his inability to commission any major project during his tour of the region,” he stated.