For the first time in the history of this country, a presidential aspirant, Alan Kyerematen, broadcast to the nation and this country turned into a forum round with people debating pro and con on wha the said.
Most of those against, are saying there is no foundation built by Nana Addo, for Alan to put up his GTP agenda, and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) which will never disappoint, launched missiles at Alan.
The question is, has President Nana Akufo-Addo laid down any structures upon which an economy can be built on?
From 2017 through to 2021, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) led this nation on economic growth, registering single digit inflations for four continuous years, 2018 to 2021. There were lots of infrastructure developments like roads, school blocks, factories and hospitals. And everything went at value for money.
For example, while the NDC used $260 million to construct a single interchange, the Kwame Nkrumah Interchange, Nana Akufo-Addo’s administration used $321.3 million to construct four interchanges, namely Tema, Obetsebi Lamptey, Pokuase and Tamale – An average of $80.325 million per interchange with the Pokuase interchange being the largest and the most complex of all interchanges in Ghana.
The NDC’s unnecessary spending, which are couched in deep corruption include the expansion of the Kotoka International Airport and the construction of the Terminal 3 block. It cost $250 million to construct this facility which increased the passenger capacity per year from 2,547,527 passengers a year to 5 million.
Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia also went through similar expansion works around the same time KIA was being expanded. After putting up two or three new terminals, each one bigger than our Terminal 3, to increase passenger capacity per year from seven million to twenty-two million, it cost the Ethiopians, $363 million.
Applying the arithmetic theory of if-more-less-divide, while the Ethiopians would have spent $82,500,000.00 to do the same work done in KIA, the NDC government would have spent $1.1 billion to put up what was done in Bole International Airport.
Nana Akufo-Addo’s NPP administration, adopted the fact that the basic foundations on which a sound economy can be built, should be in education, health, agriculture, roads, housing and trade and industry.
No matter how people rise up against the Free Senior High School (FSHS), it is one of the basic foundations of economic growth. A nation with high literacy rate is bound to have sound economic structures and income can be generated from brains sent abroad, like in the case of our nurses. Every Ghanaian must have sound and solid education, and with this comes productivity.
Globally, Ghana is classified among the top five nations that managed the Covid-19 pandemic, so well. Advanced countries like the UK took a cue from Ghana in the way passengers were tested at our ports of entry.
This administration has started Agenda 111, to construct hospitals in every district. NHIS which collapsed under the NDC is now being revamped. With health facilities and deliveries at one’s doorsteps, diseases and general illness that can hamper productivity will be curtailed.
Ghana is an agro-based economy and this administration has laid the soundfoundations, for all who will go under food production.
Planting for Food and Jobs, has brought good income to the youth and all others who took advantage of this project. The NDC members are not left out, as Hon. Alhaji Mohammed Issifu Pandagu of Ejura Sekyeredumasi constituency came to testify, but was lambasted for this by the NDC.
Food production can be the source of inputs to industries, where the produce will be processed and by-products converted into medicine, cosmetics, clothing, etc.,etc.
As at May 2021, work was done on 4,263.37 kilometres of road all across the country. Today a major construction of a dual carriageway is underway from Tema through Nungua, Teshie, La and finally to Osu. This yet to be completed 38-kilometer (about 24 miles), is a joy and delight to motorists and other road users, who insist it will outclass the Tema Motorway.
Meanwhile, construction works of dual carriageways from Nungua to Ashaiman and Kpone barrier to Dawhenya and beyond are ongoing. These are some of the road constructions going on in Accra. Other town and cities in Ghana are benefiting from this foundation for economic development.
With housing, the NDC cannot compare with the NPP and here again we have an example of unnecessary spending couched in corruption. In 2012, the NDC accessed a loan of $200 million to construct 5,000 housing units in Saglemi in the Ningo-Prampram district of Greater Accra region.
In the end the NDC claimed it used $196 million to construct 668 housing units whereas forensics had it that the uninhabitable buildings cost $64 million. The NDC are in effect telling Ghanaians that each housing unit cost on average, $293,000.00 when it should have been $40,000.00.
This administration has started massive housing projects, which would serve as homes for all and with comfortable accommodation the worker will always wake right, fit and strong to put in his all for the good of Ghana.
These are some of the foundations laid by this administration and upon which Alan wants to build a sound economy for Ghana.
In part two we shall take a look at the trade and industry and attacks on Alan.
Hon Daniel Dugan
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect The Chronicle’s stance.
