Government to uphold transparency in award of contracts

Kpassa, March 28, GNA - Mr Paul Levin Gyato, Nkwanta North District (NND) Chief Executive has assured the Chiefs and people of Damanko that, government was committed to upholding the tenets of transparency in the award of contracts.

He said the award of a proposed hydro-electric project over the River Oti at Damanko, which could assume a national character, could not have been undertaken in secrecy. Mr Gyato gave the assurance when he met Ubor (Nana) Sampson Mboribe III, Chief of Damanko and his subjects to address the grievances of the people on alleged non-involvement in the Dam project. An earlier petition by the traditional authority alleged that a Brazilian company was to build a hydro-electric dam on the River Oti with feasibility studies and markings currently underway. Ubor Mboribe said their investigation attest that the Dam, to be named after Joli, an up-stream community in the Nanumba South District in the Northern region could threaten their livelihood and impugn on their human rights.

"All our checks have proved futile, with virtually no information on the cost-benefit analysis to the community, compensation regimes, possible hazards, loss of property and jobs are our collective worry", he added. Ubor Mboribe said the fate of the newly constructed Damanko-Kpassa Water project, whose intake is River Oti downstream is not guaranteed.

"Nobody seems to have information for us to assuage our difficulties and yet we see the movement of project vehicles to and from the community", he said.

Mr Gyato said the Assembly has no correspondence from the Ministry of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on the Dam, and all efforts have proved negative.

He wondered how a project of that magnitude could commence without stakeholder consultations. Mr Gyato pleaded with the youth not to usurp the law and pledged to engage in more consultations with government and major stakeholder on the matter.

Mr Gershon Gadzekpo, NND Coordinator, assured that government would not encourage injustice and was hopeful that an amicable resolution would be reached. He assured that Damanko would not be at a disadvantage "or else posterity would not forgive them."