NPP spent $289m on 4 interchanges; NDC spent more on just one - Bawumia reveals

- The New Patriotic Party government says it has delivered the most cost-effective investment on infrastructure compared to the previous Mahama/NDC administration

- Dr. Bawumia said the NDC did not Ghana value for money

- He cited an example of the NDC spending USD260 million to construct a single interchange, whereas the NPP has used less to construct 4 interchanges

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Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia says the Akufo-Addo government, has, apart from its pursuit of inclusive infrastructure development for all, has also focused on delivering the best value for money for all of its projects.

During his presentation of the Akufo-Addo government’s infrastructure record on Tuesday, August 18, Dr. Bawumia revealed staggering disparities in the value of similar projects undertaken by the erstwhile John Mahama government and current projects by the Akufo-Addo government.

In Dr. Bawumia’s comparative value for money analysis, the costs of projects undertaken by the Mahama government appear to be quiet outrageous.

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For instance, the Vice President said while the NPP government is constructing four major interchanges; Tema, Pokuase, Tamale and Obetsebi Lamptey interchanges at a cost of $289m, the Mahama administration built the Kwame Nkrumah interchange alone at a cost of a staggering $260m.

For the Pokuase interchange, which is 75% complete, Dr. Bawumia explained that the loan agreement for the project was signed in November 2016 for a three-tier interchange, but the Akufo-Addo government renegotiated for a four-tier interchange without any increase in cost.

Another major interchange, which is part of the interchanges the NPP government is building in its first term, is the Tamale interchange.

The Tamale interchange, the first-ever interchange in the Northern Sector of the country, is 44% complete and is expected to be completed by the middle of 2021.

Last week, Vice President Bawumia cut the sod for the construction of another three-tier interchange at the Nungua barrier as part of the construction of the Accra-Tema beach road.

The Vice President has also announced that next month, the sod will be cut for the construction of an interchange at PTC in Takoradi.

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Apart from the value for money comparison in the road sector, analysts have also raised eyebrows on disparities in the cost of hospitals the current government is building and those built under Mahama.

While the Akufo-Addo government recently cut the sod for a 600-bed Eastern Regional hospital at a cost of €70m Euro, the Mahama government rehabilitated the Ridge at a cost of $220m.

YEN.com.gh earlier reported that Ghana’s Free SHS education policy is arguably the biggest government intervention for citizens in the 4th republic.

The Free SHS policy was introduced in September 2017 when the New Patriotic Party (NPP) came into office.

It was the then-candidate Nana Akufo-Addo’s flagship promise to Ghanaians. So shortly after he won the 2016 elections, it was implemented.

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Source: YEN.com.gh