Armah Buah: Thank you Kwame. There was a period in Parliament where we were doing road kilometres polities. I remember during President Akufo-Addo’s State of the Nation Address, the President stated that they had constructed 11,974 kilometres of new roads. From where you sit. Is this number, correct? Do we even have to be doing these politics on roads when quite frankly some of these numbers don’t add up? What is your view about this number that was thrown out there?
Agbodza: Thank you Chairman. I think the issue in question has since been addressed by the road agencies providing, we demanded details. Though initially they issued a press statement against me, condemning me, they later came out to give a breakdown. And as I said earlier, the actual new roads constructed is just 675 kilometres thereabout.
The bulk of the, it used to be 11,000, the bulk of the 13,000 kilometres now is reshaping, re-graveling and other interventions. But it’s something we should all take on board. I don’t believe the President probably did that intentionally. It was a brief he got from a ministry. And because the President couldn’t have written, it’s a bit too technical. Whoever wrote that speech probably should have paid a bit more attention in terms of giving the breakdowns.
So, I want to believe that going forward, we should all just stick to the standard way the road ministry reports on road sector interventions. If it’s resealing, reshaping, just state it. There’s no reason for anybody to say we have done 10,000 this. If you want to do that, then go under the same structure in the MTEF, which will tell you urban road, feeder road and other things.
And if you look at that, indeed, the NDC’s record in 2016 reported in the 2017 budget is still unmatched in terms of those maintenance works. The record is there to show. Thank you.
Armah Buah: When you talked about the hundred billion indebtedness in the road sector, as opposed to the 17 billion, I was alarmed. But what I was thinking about was that for so many Ghanaians who have voted massively for the NDC, that’s not a number they are going to look at. They expect their roads to be done. And they have huge expectations. What strategies do we, as road minister, you adopt to try to address some of these and meet and manage these expectations?
Agbodza: I know it is a big challenging, but I am ready for the challenge. I see it as an opportunity to do something new as well. Maybe I need to understand why we are doing things the way we have been doing it. It will not be easy. It’s about money. But together with the House, and I have already stated earlier, it is time for us as a country to have an honest discussion about how we fund roads in this country.
The window of borrowing from another person’s country is almost shut, but we still need the roads. We must pay for it in one way or another. But it must be done in a consultative way, so it’s not an imposition on anybody. And I signal that my very good friend, Honourable Amoako-Atta, started the process. At the time, myself and the former minority leader, Honourable Haruna, had discussions with him.
And then when Honourable, the new Minister Asenso, took over from him, I know he would even have one of the meetings already on how to do funding for road. I intend to build upon it to make it public for the discussion to conclude on how we shall fund road projects sustainably using our own money. Because even if you want to talk to PPP and others, the developer wants to see how he will be repaid.
I don’t know how many people are in this world who are ready to give you 500 million, 1 billion, to do a PPP road when they can’t see how they are going to recover their money. The only way to do it is to have that discussion. Thank you. Armah Buah: Something you just said and I want you to clarify. One of you were unhappy that it took too long for the Suame project to receive attention after Parliament approved it. Is that what you were saying? Because when you said that, I wanted you to clarify.
Agbodza: Well, I believe one of the ways you can serve your country is what Honourable Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu did. His name cannot be wished off this Parliament. He’s been part of this democracy for this long. And I thought what we see in Kumasi, especially at Suame, was something we need to deal with. And if you check, it received a consensus on the floor as to why we should facilitate in 2022.
The contractor only turned up on site close to the end of last year. And the rate of work done, based on what I’ve seen, is just about less than 5 percent. And I’m not happy about that. That’s what I talked about. So, we need to make sure that we complete that project. It was a commercial loan.
How we replace that or the lenders continue to fund it is something that the Finance Minister and the House will have to make a decision. I’m not even sure whether that loan is still drawable as we speak. But we have to do that project because it’s critical.
Armah Buah: Honourable, I’m sure that me and you and Honourable Ato Forson will be talking a lot about our experience at the front bench. I wish you all the best.
Agbodza: Thank you very much for the opportunity, my boss.
Chairman: Thank you. It’s now the turn of Minority Leader and the Ranking Member. Honourable, you have the floor.
Alexander Afenyo-Markin, MP, Effutu: My respected colleague, first let me congratulate you on your nomination. You worked very hard. And I respect you for your stance on matters when you have to express your view. I believe that being a Majority Leader, I got a close shot of what you stand for. And I have no doubt in my mind at all that should all things go well, the nation would benefit from your talent.
Honourable Amoako-Atta has described you as an upright and forthcoming person. The former Roads and Highways Minister. That’s how he describes you. Your colleagues say you are temperamental. In view of the fact that this enterprise of ours is perception driven, what would be your reaction going into the Roads Ministry in respect of this aspect of the perception held by your colleagues?
Thank you. Agbodza: Thank you Chairman and I want to thank colleagues for the feedback. I think it’s important. They raised the issue about my temperament and yes, you are right, when I believe in something, sometimes yourself you tell me just be careful the way you put it. So, for that part, I will work on it. Thank you.
Afenyo-Markin: Thank you very much. Honourable, I shall go into your CV with you. So, if you have it with you, please. Page one of your CV. You state your name as Kwame Governs Agbodza. Whereas the communication from His Excellency refers to you as Governs Kwame Agbodza. What is the right way?
Agbodza: I prefer to be called Kwame Agbodza.
Afenyo-Markin: Yes, Chairman, I just want the correct full name.
Agbodza: It’s in my passport and on my Ghana card is Kwame. My middle name is Governs, my Christian name or first name is Kwame Agbodza. I know people don’t understand it, but I prefer my name to be Kwame. So, my middle name is Governs.
Afenyo-Markin: Very well. So, Kwame, just clarify…
Agbodza: My father comes from Kordiabe. My mother side Oti region.
Afenyo-Markin: Now, if I go through your CV again, you know, same page one. You have your experimental JSS Ho, 1985 to 88. Then you have Mawuli School Ho, where you had your GCEO level, 1988 to 91. Does that mean that because you finished the JSS, you started from form two?
Agbodza: Yes, I went to the experimental JHS. Well, JSS those days it was called. So, when you finish your three years there, you go straight to secondary school form three. Then you just do two years, then you do the O level. That is why it’s like that.
Afenyo-Markin: Very well. So, I just needed you to clarify. Please, let’s go to page two of your CV. So, you’ve indicated there 2014 to date, K and Partners Limited. Position held,
Principal consultant. I need two clarifications from you. One, were you a registered director of this company or you were just an employee?
Agbodza: I’m the founder of the company.
Afenyo-Markin: Very well. Then when you come to Architects Co-Partners Limited, you also have the consultant into bracket partner. Again, clarify. Are you a partner by directorship and ownership or you?
Agbodza: I operated K and Partners in the United Kingdom until I returned to Ghana in 2010. It was still in operation. When I got to Ghana, I got involved in Architects Co-Partners, who belongs to a relative, and I took it over as a principal consultant. Since then, I’m still a director and a partner of Architects Co-Partners as well.
Afenyo-Markin: Yes. So just the clarification again, because you said 2010 to date, if you check on it, 2010 to date. So, I just wanted you to clarify whether whilst you were in Ghana, serving as a member of parliament, you were still in the employ of that company and whether the company at all was operational.
Agbodza: Architects Co-Partners is not very active today. K and Partners is slightly more active than Architects Co-Partners, but you see 2010 to today simply because I got involved with Architects Co-Partners since 2010 and closed down K and Partners in the UK and restarted it in Ghana from 2014.
Afenyo-Markin: Very well. So, you may want to do some amendments in future, Architects and Co-Partners.
Agbodza: Thank you very much.
Afenyo-Markin: All right. Honourable, so again, normally we take dispensation from the Speaker to practise our profession. Those of us who are still in active projects. Did it ever happen that they need our rules for you to take some permission from Speaker to enable your practise or really you were not too active?
Agbodza: Yes. In fact, I was a member of the, one of my favourite committees is a committee of members holding office of profit. So, I made sure I took permission. We just started the ninth Parliament and I will be doing that as soon as Parliament is properly constituted.
Afenyo-Markin: Well, suffice to say that you may not have the time to practise your profession. The heavy load of the rose minister may not permit you, but anyway, that’s okay. Apart from these companies that you founded, are there other companies that you founded that you’ve not stated on your CV, please?
Agbodza: Yes. I have a parent company that I used to run other interests.
Afenyo-Markin: What’s the name of that company?
Agbodza: I want to reserve the, since I didn’t state it officially on my CV, I want to reserve.
Afenyo-Markin: It doesn’t matter. I’m on notice of it or it has come to me. I was going to put that to you. I haven’t laid a foundation. So, I don’t mind if it pleases you too.
Agbodza: I run southwell technical services and others as well.
Afenyo-Markin: Because I know that for a fact. So, since I didn’t find it, I thought probably it was an omission. So, I was laying the foundation then put it to you. But since you’ve disclosed it, there’s no problem at all. So, this is a Ghanaian registered entity, correct?
Agbodza: It’s a Ghanaian registered entity.
Afenyo-Markin: Are you the sole shareholder? I’m the sole shareholder in that one. How many of you are directors of this entity? You and who, please?
Agbodza: You want me to mention the names of the people?
Afenyo-Markin: No, no. You said two. Two of you are directors, but you are the sole shareholder.
Agbodza: Yes, yes. The other person is just a director, secretary.
Afenyo-Markin: No, the new registered general, the new regulation, the law we passed, we can’t have secretary-director. You must have a secretary and director. They must be separate. Previously, you must have, you can have secretary-director. So, I just want to know from you, you have a secretary to this company, separate or different from a director?
Agbodza: As a matter of fact, I don’t play an active role in these entities. I have a management firm that deals with this thing. So, to not put out an information that is not completely accurate, I want to reserve that one until I check.
Afenyo-Markin: That’s fair enough. So, Kwame, let’s go into your days as a Minority Chief Whip. I still remember your midnight calls and early morning calls where you would state the principled position to me, that although we’ve had an agreement to support government business, the party position is that you shouldn’t. And you don’t hide that from me. Which I respect you for.
One of the things you never did was to surprise me, so at least I knew what stance you had. Now, tell me, why is it that a lot of the times when you were opposing me, you look elsewhere. You wouldn’t look in the correct direction. Why, what, what really was going through your mind? Why, would you look down or look elsewhere, in the process of firing at me, your tribesman?
Agbodza: Chairman, I must say the minority leader is a very good friend of mine, and I don’t like disappointment. So, if we go to a committee and take a decision on something and it turns out not enough consultation has been done with my party, and by the time we finish the consultation, I need to change my stance.
I feel I’ve let the committee down at that stage, so it is not comfortable to disappoint when I knew you were riding on my word. So, my very good friend, you know it is not easy to stand in front of somebody who you believe trusts you to say that what I told you yesterday, I can’t do it. So that is why it’s difficult sometimes to look at you directly and say.
Afenyo-Markin: So, Kwame, I’m sure you, you, you have simplified matters. For those who perhaps find it to be very difficult to understand that this is the nature of politics, and some of our actions might not be held against that. I mean, that said, I want to know from you about this road toll. When should Ghanaians expect it?
Agbodza: The issue about the road toll got the attention of the whole country. I’m of the view we shouldn’t just, as a ministry, hurriedly put together something and spring a surprise on the public. I believe there has to be some engagement to consolidate our position. So, what I can say is that quickly, the consultation can start. Exactly when would the rollout be? That would be part of the first budget of President Mahama to be presented to Parliament by the Finance Minister, your own good friend, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson.
Afenyo-Markin: So, you mean the policy will be introduced in the first budget?
Agbodza: There will be a rendition in the budget which would set the tone for what we are going to do. I sincerely believe we need to amend the road toll policy, because there’s a law on it. We need to, because what the law says still talks about toll booths and other things.
And as I said, we are not going to build physical toll booths where drivers will stop and pay anything. So, it requires us to actually amend the law, but the policy would appear in the financial policy of government when the first budget comes. Thereafter, the law, if whatever we need to do, would be brought to the House.
Afenyo-Markin: So, you would agree with me that some costing would have to be done before the policy gets expression in the budget. Do you agree with me?
Agbodza: Certainly. We have done some simulations already. I am aware we have done some surveys both at the Ministry and some that already in terms of the collection of data. But we are yet to engage the public with the findings and then chart a way forward. Yes, by the time we are coming to Parliament, for the policy, we should have an idea. First of all, how much we intend to charge and how much accruals we expect and what that money is supposed to do. Particularly, Ghanaians must get to know what that money is supposed to do.
Afenyo-Markin: But do you think Ghanaians must equally know the cost of rendering the services vis-à-vis the platforms you are going to rely on since it’s a whole technology drive? Agbodza: Of course, it’s an in-built. The cost of deploying the technology will have to be part of the of the rollout because you need technology, you need a platform, you have to pay for it. So, the cost will have to be part of it.
Afenyo-Markin: Should Ghanaians understand you to mean that you would introduce a public tender for the purposes of these IT services with the sole purpose at rolling out this new tooling system?
Agbodza: At this stage, I can only say that it will have to be competitive because not all public tenders give you the lowest evaluated figure. So, I will leave it at this for now.
Afenyo-Markin: So, Kwame, don’t you think that the goodwill of your government which you ride on would mean that in this important policy you roll it out through a public tender and even so segregate it instead of centralising it to participate.
So, for instance, in the southern sector where you would have the Tema the Weija area, you can have one tender lot and then in the middle belt, the Kumasi area, you have another lot. In the western, another lot and northern region. Don’t you think that some indicative assurances would help the ordinary Ghanaian entrepreneur in the IT field feel good about this?
Agbodza: Well, I’m most excited about your concluding part, which is to make this a Ghanaian owned thing which will give opportunity to Ghanaians and I take on board your valuable suggestion that in the process of selecting the would-be operators, we should make it more open. I think it’s a valuable idea when we are doing the consultation, we would consider these things before we come up with a conclusion.
Afenyo-Markin: … have called for the suspension of Act 118. You know, it was a bill, a law we enacted to impliedly repeal the Act 540. That is so, the Ghana Highway Authority law. What is your own view about it?
Agbodza: The records in Parliament will show that I participated well in the formulation of that law. I am also aware that the implementation is currently receiving challenges. What I said earlier was to say that when I get to the Ministry with the kind support of this committee and plenary, I would listen to the stakeholders, i.e. mainly the agencies under the Ministry, highways, feeder roads and urban roads, to understand exactly what their challenges are and then thereafter come up with the best possible way of taking it forward, or if we need to tweak sections of the Act to address their issues, because I believe we need to listen to them and to address the issue. Then we can do that.
Afenyo-Markin: Kwame, I move to this point about quality of our roads. I hold the view that as a political class, we often get too hard on ourselves without paying attention to the technical components that lead to quality of our roads. No doubt, as a politician, you’ve had calls to lambast the previous government and to talk about the quality of roads. It’s your bona fide. I don’t take it away from you.
I would have cause to criticise your government’s quality of roads. I live at Abelenkpe, the underbridge that connects Abelenkpe to Abofu. In 2016, I saw that road being asphalted all the way to the Achimota Market, that link. In 2018, heavy potholes, the road had gone bad, and it had to be asphalted again.
You and I know that you being a sector minister, you will not physically inspect every single road to get the certification done for payment. Yet, all the attacks will be on you, as a minister, and your government. What steps do you plan to put in place to ensure that our engineers who get on the field to certify quality of work done, do so patriotically, because my dear colleague Kwame, the debts you talked about is likely due to repeats of construction. A road has been done.
In my constituency, Winneba, a road from Nsuoakyir through … which was awarded and was to be completed in 2008. It was done. Contractor, I don’t want to mention his name, was paid. In 2009, between 2009 to 2012, again, during President Mills’ era, we saw potholes, and it had to be awarded again.
So, it was paid, awarded again to be paid. Then, when Akufo-Addo came into office, 2017, all the way to the 6th of January 2025… those who are actually in charge of the drain on public purse, to go scot-free. I know you are very forthright; you are hard-working. How do you intend to deal with this matter?
Agbodza: Thank you, Chairman. On a lighter note, I now see how come my road was not done, because they did yours three times. The money got finished, so they couldn’t do mine.
Afenyo-Markin: Chairman, just by way of clarification, on the two occasions, it came under your administration, though. No, no, no, he said yours three times, that is why. No, no, I got the joke, but just to clarify, that it was done again because it was bad. I have some that was done in your place. I’m going to refer to it later.
Agbodza: Yes, you are very right on this matter. I only hope that colleagues would see some of the criticisms we make, not political. I remember very well when Honourable Yieleh Chireh was Health Minister. A project came here, and our good friend, Honourable Matthew Opoku-Prempeh, who is no longer in Parliament, in a room not far from here, we took the contract and I opposed the amount and asked the Ministry to go back and review the amount.
They reviewed it and took out over 20 million dollars out of the project. NDC was in government. I never saw NDC say I was playing politics. But these days, when I raise issues, it’s politics. You are very right. Why is it that asphalt in the town can be anything from 800 to 1.2 million dollars per kilometre?
It is not cheap. So, when you have to lay it twice, imagine how many cheap compounds that can do in our villages. So those who actually certify that I can say this has been done according to standard, and there’s no asphalt that is done which is supposed to fail within two years. They are all supposed to last around 10 years.
The wearing cost, the 50 mil wearing cost at least should do that. So, if it fails within one year, two years, it means it was not done well. My prescription is that if we’re going to use external consultants, let them take professional indemnity insurance so that if it fails and you can prove that it failed through negligence, the state can draw upon that insurance.
Maybe that will be another way of dealing with it. Apart from that, the temptation is that when you are doing asphaltic overlay, because when you lay a few hours, it looks so smooth and so…
Afenyo-Markin: Honourable, you raised some concerns about six months non-payment clause in contracts. Correct?
Agbodza: I didn’t mention six months, but every contract when written, they will tell you, especially road contracts, when certificates are raised and payment is not made over a period, depending on the contract, that money can attract 30% interest.
Afenyo-Markin: You think this is popular with contractors?
Agbodza: Extremely popular with contractors, bad news for government.
Afenyo-Markin: I see. Now, let’s go to the Roots. You’ve complained about our indebtedness. Do you think you can achieve something significant between now and 2028 December?
Agbodza: Yes, President Mahama can achieve in the four years better than what we’ve seen in the last four years.
Afenyo-Markin: No Kwame, don’t let us go there. I mean, this is a very diplomatic, you see, where you are now, you know, if you go that path, then I may be compelled not to manage the leader-leader relationship. So, I’ll give you an opportunity to rephrase your answer.
Agbodza: I am only an advisor to President Mahama on road matters, as his Minister for Roads and Highways. Yes, I am saying yes with the authority of President Mahama. We shall do better, or we shall do, we shall achieve things on the road sector.
Afenyo-Markin: So, I take the latter phrase. I take the latter phrase. That is very befitting of where you sit now. I’m sure in the chamber, this will be a different matter. Now, let’s delve a bit into that. You see, you have laid the foundation in an earlier answer to a question posed by my respected colleague, Honourable Boamah.
When he sought your views on the contracts or works in motion in the sector, and you also took time to explain the indebtedness. Now, we are indebted to road contractors heavily. You’ve given the figures. And then we have contracts that are also ongoing, yet to be completed, for them to even raise invoice. So, if you say you are going to achieve so much, you are optimistic, are you saying that added to these debts, you are going to award new contracts?
Agbodza: Thank you, Chairman. I earlier on said that the president is committed to continuing and completing ongoing projects. And I also suggested that it would be necessary that due to specific needs, some new project would have to be started. How do we fund this?
My answer to that was that my job is to prepare project portfolios or reassess projects. Put figures to them and let the finance minister find ways of funding them. It’s actually not my job to find money to pay for road contract. It is the job of the finance minister to do that. Afenyo-Markin: Kwame. So, you see, Ghanaians are interested in this part of the conversation.
We have a major problem in our road sector. A lot of road contracts are awarded. Now, you don’t know how to even pay because the money is not there. Would you consider providing for these outstandings through your ambitious $10 billion infrastructure? You call it what? The big push. The $10 billion infrastructure fund that you are looking at for the next four years or so?
Agbodza: No, the big push is not about paying for recurrent expenditure in the road sector. Yes, it is expected to be a special purpose fund over four years. Identify, prepare, and package specific impactful projects to be funded by the finance ministry. So, we will continue to fund ongoing projects through the usual channels of budgetary allocations and other things.
Big push is not intended to be just another money to pay for re-graveling or pot hole patching or rehabilitation of the standard things we do and every government does. That is not what it’s intended to be. And it’s not a $10 billion for road ministry only. It’s infrastructure. So, it is upon the president to determine the allocation as to what goes to health, education, transportation, and others.
Afenyo-Markin: Should the ordinary Ghanaian businessman who has taken a loan from the bank and uses assets as collateral to construct roads be assured that going in there as a minister, you will take steps to ensure prompt or regular payments?
Agbodza: Chairman, that is exactly so and that is the vision of President Bahama. Because that is the only way we can create sustainable homegrown jobs. You know my credentials on this matter. I fought and got the contract with Mota-Engil on the motorway terminated so that it will be awarded to a Ghanaian company.
Because I know that and the benefit of that remains in our economy. So, we need to do more of that for our Ghanaian businessmen. I believe road contractors or contractors generally are one of the most patriotic. Why? If somebody takes a public job, and I’ve decided to collateralise the roof over his head where he himself and his children, wife, and everybody sits. How many people can do that?
If the person is not patriotic, he wouldn’t have done that. So, Ghanaian contractors are actually patriotic. The problem comes when they take the loan, and we are unfortunately unable to pay them for them to repay whatever they got their money from.
Afenyo-Markin: So, should the ordinary Ghanaian businessman in the road sector be assured that you as minister would look at them and support them without first identifying them with any party colour?
Agbodza: The industry players will tell you that I am the first to say that don’t tag contractors with political colours because I don’t expect a contractor who, assuming he’s even your friend, assuming you registered a company for him, I don’t expect him to stop working because you are in opposition. I expect him to continue working as long as he’s competent enough to do that. So, I don’t tag road contractors as partisans. Who they vote for, I don’t know. As long as they do a good job and adhere to the tenets of the contract, we are ready to go.
Afenyo-Markin: So, currently, we have 233 contractors duly vetted and classified by the Ministry, for which you know that the criteria for financial capability and technical record have been duly certified. To your mind, how can the classification system be used in a manner that would ensure meritocracy at the same time balance fairness?
Agbodza: The classification has to go in tandem with other supports and including competency, because if it’s just a matter of you want class A contractor, so you need a number of bulldozers, excavators, graders, tipper trucks, personnel in terms of engineers and other things.
Any businessman can do that, but whether the person is committed to do the work is different. I also know contractors have issues with the way the classification is done in a way. You do a classification and say the highest level can do work up to a certain standard. Then, when you bid, the guys at the top come and bid with the people lower here, but because of the capacity they have, then the lower guys can never get an award.
So, whilst we’re doing the classification, it has to come together with other interventions to make sure players on the different strata of operation can all participate in what we are expecting them to do, but it also depends on not only the record of the equipment and personnel, but their competence… So, I met almost everybody that matters in the road sector, all the chief directors and various entity heads, and I met everybody during those interactions.
Afenyo-Markin: Now, you know that some of the chief executives of these agencies under you have subsistence contracts, and it is also obvious that there will be the need to make political appointments to head these agencies. That would come as a matter of course. I’m not taking you into the area of law, but would you want to be guided by law in how you ensure a smooth transition?
Agbodza: Certainly, but my biggest commitment will be to find the right person for the right job. If, by law, you are sitting somewhere where but you have no value or you are unable to do what we want you to do, we would advise ourselves.
Afenyo-Markin: Yes, I agree. I mean, you are the political head. You would have to advise yourself, but should Ghanaians be assured that in advising yourself, you would ensure that you act within the ambit of the law?
Agbodza: Yes, we would act within the ambit of the law, but most importantly, in fulfilment of our manifesto promise and also the best value for Ghanaians.
Afenyo-Markin: Now, I’ve been in government before, so I do not want to pretend on this. For instance, DVLA, you are the sector minister. No, DVLA. Sorry, sorry, sorry. Roads and Highways. Sorry about that. Thank you, colleagues. Roads and Highways. You need to have a chief executive for Roads and Highways.
Under normal circumstances, some consultations would ensue. In situations where you would hear of a new appointment in the papers, and given your commitment to ensuring smooth transition, would you boldly take it up to address such untidiness, all in the best interest of mother Ghana?
Agbodza: Chairman, that’s exactly what I would do. That is why I avoided making direct comments about things like that, because to be honest, even during the transition, I never stepped foot at the ministry. Till today, I’ve never been there, physically, because I want, if this house approves me, to go there with open mind.
I don’t want to go there with a baggage where I have preconceived ideas about anything. I want to go there and see for myself and take decisions that would be in the best interest of Ghanaians and in line with the vision of President Mahama.
Afenyo-Markin: Now, there is this road, Akwete-Adaklu-Waya Road. You know about it? Agbodza: Yes, that sounds like a road in my village.
Afenyo-Markin: Very well. I am saying that, indeed, as you said, it sounds like a road in your village. May I put it to you that, indeed, it is a road in your village. Have you seen any improvement on this road?
Agbodza: In 2016, Honourable Inusah Fuseini, under a programme, awarded a number of road projects across the country. Akwete-Waya-Nochrepe Abaadiwaya to Keyime, was part of those projects. I think September 2016, and award letters came out. We went into an election in December the same year and we lost.
The contractor delayed and came to site far later than that. So, the project was done after we left office, though we awarded it, and that is the fact. The good thing, though, is that whenever the regional minister, the former regional minister, Dr. Letsa, was going for an inspection, he acknowledged the fact that I did some legwork as a member of parliament and got that approved.
So, he always took me along. I remember one day we went on site and one of his party people tried to do politics and he told him, not here. You have to give credit where it is due. The only difficulty is that that road is already requiring maintenance, just like your own, because the way it was done, maybe it should have been better. So, it’s even requiring further attention as we speak.
Afenyo-Markin: Kwame, you know, in the chamber, you would always emphasise that Adaklu is Adaklu and Ho is Ho. Your constituents are not part of Ho. Why the emphasis for the difference? Why the emphasis? Are these two separate traditional areas? So, even if they are separate traditional areas, are they of the same group or different?
Agbodza: Well, if we talk about the people, you and I have our parents from different places, but we are somewhere. So, you can imagine if you share boundary with another town. So, Ho and Adaklu, if you were to be coming from, I assume you know Ho, on the way from Ho towards Sogakope, going to Sogakope, it would be difficult to tell where is Ho and where is Adaklu, because they almost become twin towns.
So, yes, Adaklu is separate from a Ho. The confusion, a bit confusion I’ve seen in recent time started when in 2016, the NDC decided to donate some land to government through some families to build a regional sports stadium. That land is largely in Adaklu, because you can’t get that size of land inside the boundaries of Ho.
We couldn’t do that before we lost the election. When the NPP came, they wanted to do this regional youth centres. They fell upon part of that land and built it. It became a bit of challenge, and I must commend my brother, the former sports minister, who set the record straight that, yes, it is a Volta Regional Youth Centre, but the location is in Adaklu. And the president himself, when he came, we were lucky to host the 6th March there.
He said categorically, we are in Adaklu. So, when he came, he paid a courtesy call on my revered chiefs and made them aware. So, but there’s no challenge between us and whole people. It’s just the issue of that boundary, which is not even a boundary dispute or anything. So, yes, Ho and Adaklu are different in terms of traditional areas.
Afenyo-Markin: So, Keta, Anloga, Aflao area, they describe themselves as Anlog people. So, the Adaklu, Ho, area, how do you describe yourself?
Agbodza: You know, who, they call themselves Asogli. And in Adaklu, we call ourselves Bekou. So, they are completely different. So,Ho is Asogli. So, the paramount chief, I mean, TogbeAfede is there, and then we have our TogbeAcha as the paramount chief of Adaklu.
Afenyo-Markin: Okay, my respected colleague, the chair, who is also a family member, has just given me some education on even the further breakdown that we have there. Anlog, Avenor, an the Tongu, and all those breakdowns. Anyway, so in concluding, I would want to know from you, what is your source of inspiration for public service?
Agbodza: First of all, I think politics is for good. I am never somebody who believes when I hear people say politicians are always the same. I believe a lot of the things, progress we have made in this country, was championed by politics, on the back of politics. My inspiration in this starts from the first president. It’s about sacrifice, and what Ghana achieved through the sacrifice of Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah.
So, my inspiration is that our forebearers sacrificed and built a foundation for our country, of which Ghana is respected everywhere in the world. So, our generation must be inspired to do and build upon what our forebearers have built. So yes, I’m in this because I believe I can contribute positively on top of what our forebearers have done.
Afenyo-Markin: The young man at the university, the young man and the young woman at the College of Education, the Ghanaian youth who aspires to be a politician, and aspires to be part of the political system of our country. What is your advice to them? They are listening to you.
Agbodza: Chairman, I may be biased, but my advice is, before you become a full-time politician, get a day job, which you can do even when you are a politician. In my own life, the resources I spend in my constituency, the bulk of it does not come from the sources in politics.
As you know, our salary, my salary, and I show it to people in my constituency, is GH¢15,000. At one weekend, by the time I finish my funeral rounds, I must have spent that. The rest is what I gather from the little consultancy and other small, small things I do. So, my advice to the young man who wants to enter politics is, get a day job that is sustainable first. Perhaps it will be easier to get a profession before you start, because it is not easy to do that in tandem. That is my advice.
Afenyo-Markin: Chairman, to draw the curtain on this, Kwame, I would want you to be fair. I worked with Honourable Amoako Atta. I was the chair of the Roads Fund. And I know the pressure that was on him. Some Ghanaians are capable of describing you in all manner of ways, calling you all manner of names.
But if you really want to carry through the inspiration that brought you into public service, you must shut it, be firm, and move on. The drain on the public purse is getting out of hand. But we, the political class, are the cause. So, make a difference. I entertain no doubt in your ability to do that and just that. Thank you so much indeed. Chairman, I am done.
Agbodza: Thank you, leader.
Chairman: Honourable members, order, order. Thank you very much. Honourable members, may I use the opportunity to recognise some dignitaries who are here to support the nominee, minister-designate for Roads and Highways. You are welcome. Honourable members, I want to thank the nominee for attending and answering numerous questions.
It’s now my turn to ask you questions, but I have listened to your answers to questions posed. I do not have any question for you, but to congratulate you for attending upon the committee. Surely you will hear from the committee. You are hereby discharged.
Agbodza: Thank you, Chairman and the committee.
