Ghana has no more problems with delayed road projects – Oppong Nkrumah

General News of Tuesday, July 30, 2019

Source: citinewsroom.com

2019-07-30

Although the government admitted that most road projects could not be completed before the president's first term, the Minister of Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, said the country was "not in a situation as difficult as it seems there ".

The Minister's statement follows the Minister of Finance's statement that the government "will certainly not be able to achieve" all highway projects "over this four-year period."

Oppong Nkrumah, at the Citi Breakfast Show, said the lack of action on some roads despite the complaints, was the opportunity cost to focus on other policies.

"It's the opportunity cost of our inclusive investments we've made over the years. If you spend so that the quotas are restored, Free SHS works and you keep the lights on, there will be an opportunity cost. "

"We must also be honest, we will not be able to do 100% of all the roads in circulation during this fiscal year or this four-year cycle," he said.

The finance minister asked parliament on Monday to allow the government to spend another 6.37 billion GHC.

But Mr. Oppong-Nkrumah reminded that part of the expenses of more than 6 billion GHc requested by the Minister of Finance will be used for new items of expenditure including roads.

He added that work on the second phase of the $ 2 billion Sinohydro Master Project Support project "has also begun; [the selection of] which projects will enter the Sino financing agreement. "

Support for the $ 2 billion Sinohydro master project was agreed between Ghana and China in 2018 to address major infrastructure challenges in the country.

"But the reality is that about 5 billion GHCs are going to cure cancer, and if we do not heal, we will not be able to hurt all the progress we've made," he added.

The government has requested additional funds due to the lack of funds needed to implement its 2019 budget.

In his presentation, Oppong Nkrumah also mentioned some of the difficulties the country faces in the electricity sector: "We need to find a way out of the options to take or pay. We need to replace some [with better options]. In doing so, we must also generate additional revenue. "

"The combined approach of generating more revenue, engaging more responsibility and tackling the best of this period without compromising the macroeconomic stability we have been able to create is the path we are working on," Oppong said. . Said Nkrumah.