President Mills Call for Judicious Use of Funds

President John Evans Atta Mills today cut sod for the commencement of work on the Mamponse Community Infrastructural Upgrading and the Chemu Drain Improvement Project in Accra with a call on implementers of the project to ensure that resources allocated are solely used for the project.

He said government should not invest huge sums of money into projects only to be mismanaged by trustees of the projects for the projects to end up as white elephants, adding that “they have to account for every pesewa given them” when this project is completed.

The project, Urban Environmental Sanitation Project Phase II (UESP II), with funding from the French Government through Agence Francaise de Developpement (AFP), aimed to improve the urban living conditions with regard to environmental health, sanitation, drainage, water, street and security lighting, vehicular access and solid waste management in a sustainable way with special emphasis on the poor.

President Mills said infrastructure expansion, including the project to be started, is at the heart of his administration’s agenda, and it explains why he decided to personally cut sod for the commencement of the project, adding that the project will not only expand infrastructure, but improve the living standards of the people and help build a strong local economy.

The President observed that trends indicates that by 2025, Accra’s population will be doubled, with more than half of Ghana’s population living in urban centres, which makes it is incumbent for his administration and subsequent ones to adequately plan the country’s rural and urban areas.

Professor Mills said government is aware that many communities in urban areas suffer deprivation and wished the UESP II project is replicated in these areas of the country, adding that “the provision of infrastructure as well as well-planned enclaves and communities encourages investments, which in turn stimulates growth and development”.

He said the facility will not only enhance the living standards of the people of Mamponse and Chemu, but will bring investment and the much needed job to the area.

His administration, he said, is conscious that its success or failure will be judged by the extent to which it was able to improve the living standards of Ghanaians and assured the people that “there is light at the end of the tunnel” and thanked the French Government for the support.

The Deputy French Ambassador to Ghana, H.E. Mr. Bernard Botte, said his government through Agence Francaise de Developpement (AFD), provided €25 million for the implementation of the UESP II project.

The project, Mr. Botte said, involves drainage improvement and community upgrading in Accra and Kumasi. The Accra programme, involves the construction of approximately 4.5 km of the Chemu Drain and the provision of infrastructural facilities in Mamponse community to complement the effort of the Accra Metropolitan Authority (AMA) to enhance living conditions of low income communities in its area.

The Deputy Ambassador described the impact of the project on the living condition of the people of the area as “significant” since it will increase vehicular access, reduce flooding, erosion, and dust in the area, adding that “the community upgrading works will be developed under a labour intensive approach. It will involve over 500 employees, especially Ghanaians”.

The Metropolitan Chief Executive Officer of the AMA, Hon. Alfred Vanderpuije, enumerated a number of projects the assembly has embarked on, which among others are, the provision of 10 solid waste container platforms, including 15 cubic metre size skips for Chokor, two 20-seater public place of convenience for the Karikari Schools and Gbegbese Primary and junior high school.

He called on government, leadership of parliament, Council of State, and the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development to review the current distribution of the assembly’s common fund with the view of ending the current practice where over 45% of each district’s common fund is deducted at source for activities such as sanitation and fumigation, which are primary responsibilities of the assemblies.

Source: ISD (Elorm Ametepe)