Query huge disparities in project costs - Barimah

Koforidua, April 23, GNA - Mr Yaw Barimah, Eastern Regional Minister, has called on the media to lead a crusade in questioning the wide disparities in the cost of projects in the various districts even though the specifications do not vary.

He said it was about time that district assemblies were asked to explain where cost of projects such as school blocks, clinics, pavilions and markets among others were so different even in cases where the projects had the same specifications, size and form.

Mr Barimah, who was addressing the closing session of a two-day workshop for the Parliamentary Press Corps on the Administration of the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF) at the weekend noted that the same project could cost between 75 million cedis and 290 million cedis in various communities.

The workshop was meant to acquaint the Parliamentary Press Corps with the dynamics of the Common Fund and its new approaches to be introduced.

"It is most interesting to have this situation, especially where there are no differences in the said projects. This is where I guess we should rise up to ask questions."

Mr Barimah, who did not say if any discovery had been made of District Assemblies having embezzled or misappropriated funds, said he was concerned about the trend and called for urgent attention. The subject came up during the workshop with participants and officials from the DACF Administrator wondering why or how such trends came about.

Mr Barimah called for a delicate balance in the administration of the Common Fund to ensure that the people for whom the funds were provided got their value for money.

The Eastern Regional Minister urged the DACF to increase the percentage of funds allocated to the district assemblies to facilitate their undertaking more poverty reduction activities. Mr Magnus Nicol, Administrator of the DACF, noted that there were sometimes genuine reasons for the differences. These include some assemblies owning land for projects while others had to buy them before embarking on the project. "But we are deeply concerned about some (costs) that are obviously out of line," he said.

Mr Nichol said the DACF itself was yet to do a full-scale appraisal to evaluate its activities, adding "we will do that soon and come up with our findings."

Mr Edwin Arthur, Dean of the Parliamentary Press Corps, called for a full-scale inquiry into the matter and the assemblies found culpable taken to task.