The Vice Chairman of Public Interest and Accountability Committee, PIAC, Dr. Thomas Kojo Stephens, has said the Committee has concerns in the area of road construction in the country.
He said there have been cost overruns in terms of project execution, especially road construction, mainly because successive governments have failed to pay constructors on time and so the budgeted amount for projects after completion usually ballooned, and that is one area where the country have lost a lot of revenue.
Dr. Kojo Stephens who made the disclosure at a town Hall meeting organized by PIAC in Navrongo of the Upper East Region, expressed concern about the infrastructural development in Senior High Schools, SHSs’, in the Northern, Upper East and Upper West Regions.
He said PIAC has called on government to expand their facilities to cater for the teeming number of students. Dr. Kojo Stephens said when PIAC visited some schools in the regions, it realized the need for government to concentrate and improve infrastructure. He added that while it is good to provide the students with the supplies, the books, food among others, it is important government pay attention to the infrastructural development, in terms of the dormitories and dining halls.
The Vice Chairman said PIAC during its inspection also realized that there were lots of shoddy works done in terms of six classroom blocks they inspected, stressing that they have not really gotten a lot of value for money in terms of the classroom projects that they have inspected.
He said PIAC will work with the Economic and Organized Crime Office, EOCO, and Office of the Special Prosecutor to ensure that people who misappropriated funds are prosecuted. He revealed that some cases had already been referred to the Auditor General for further investigations.
Dr. Kojo Stephens said agriculture is the backbone of the country’s economy there is the need for government to pump more funds into agriculture. He said PIAC has recommended to government to pump more money into agriculture.
The Outgoing Upper East Regional Minister, Rockson Ayine Bukari, said President Nana-Addo’s led administration is bent on taking absolute control on the country’s resources to benefit the citizenry.
He said the government anticipates total petroleum resources to reach six hundred and sixty-seven point seventy four, 667.74, million dollars this year, of which two hundred and thirty five point ten, 235.10, million dollars will be used for budget support.
He said the government is resolve to spend four hundred and fifty-three, 453 million Ghana cedis of the oil revenue to support the Free Senior High School Programme. He disclosed that there is a Local Content draft legislation in place to put Ghanaians at the centre of resources exploitation.
President of the Ghana Journalists Association, GJA, and a member of PIAC, Roland Affail Monney said Ghanaians ought to know how their resources are spent, emphasizing that the people ought to make contributions on how to govern the oil sector to ensure that every Ghanaian benefit from their own resources.
Mr. Monney said no institution could play accountability role better than the media, stressing that the media have what it takes since they are not shackled by any law, they are not feted by anything. He said the media say things as they are and they exercise over sight responsibility over the key players including government.
Story by GBC’s Samuel Ayammah
