Agbodza strips Akufo-Addo over Mahama road projects

The Minority Chief Whip, Kwame Governs Agbodza, has debunked President Nana Akufo-Addo’s claim that his government has constructed more roads than any government.

The MP for Adaklu says Akufo-Addo listed road projects that were initiated and finished by the Mills-Mahama administration as his in a document presented to Parliament.

Akufo-Addo declared while delivering the State of the Nation address in Parliament on Wednesday, March 8, that his administration has built more roads than any other government in Ghana’s 4th Republic history.

“Mr Speaker, I would like to state categorically that this Government has built more roads than any government in the history of the 4th Republic, and Mr. Speaker, the details of all these roads are attached in the annex to this message,” the president said.

He added, “I have done so because, last year, when I made a similar pronouncement, I was met with howls and gasps of incredulity from the Minority benches, and so I thought it’s appropriate, this time, to present it as an annex to the statement, which will be part of Hansard.”

But in a statement denying the claim of Akufo-Addo, Agbodza who is also the Ranking Member of Roads and Highways Committee of Parliament listed all the road projects the erstwhile NDC government initiated.

For instance, Agbodza said the claim that the Akufo-Addo government has constructed more Interchanges between 2017 – 2022, than the NDC “is an unfortunate fabrication that should not be peddled by no less a person than President Akufo-Addo.”

He said the president attempted to “expropriate for his government” projects such as the Pokuase Interchange, Tema Motorway Interchange Phase 1, Obetsebi Lamptey Interchange Phase 1, Flowerpot and Suhum Interchange.

Agbodza further explained that funding for the listed projects “was secured by the erstwhile Mahama/NDC administration.”

“Contracts signed and works ongoing before President Akufo-Addo and the NPP came into office in 2017. The Suhum Interchange project for instance was about 85% completed when the Mahama/NDC administration exited office in 2016,” he stated.

“It is therefore disingenuous for the President to peddle such a confident lie and insist that this be recorded into the Hansard of Parliament as truth.”


Below is the statement;

EXPOSING THE LIES BEHIND PRESIDENT AKUFO-ADDO’S CLAIM THAT HIS GOVERNMENT HAS CONSTRUCTED MORE ROADS THAN ANY GOVERNMENT UNDER THE 4TH REPUBLIC.

The claim by President Akufo-Addo in his SONA address that his government has constructed more roads than any other government under the fourth Republic is a barefaced lie not borne out by any fact.

A careful scrutiny of his so-called record in the roads sector as contained in the annexed document presented to Parliament, exposes this lie.

1. Interchange Construction

The claim that the Akufo-Addo government has constructed more Interchanges between (2017 – 2022), than the NDC (2009 – 2016), is an unfortunate fabrication that should not be peddled by no less a person than President Akufo-Addo. The attempt to expropriate for his government, the following projects, is most scandalizing and such dishonesty must be called out and condemned by all;

1.Pokuase Interchange
2.Tema Motorway Interchange Phase 1
3. Obetsebi Lamptey Interchange Phase 1
4. Flowerpot
5. Suhum Interchange

Funding for these projects was secured by the erstwhile Mahama/NDC administration, contracts signed and works ongoing before President Akufo-Addo and the NPP came into office in 2017. The Suhum Interchange project for instance was about 85% completed when the Mahama/NDC administration exited office in 2016. It is therefore disingenuous for the President to peddle such a confident lie and insist that this be recorded into the Hansard of Parliament as truth.

For emphasis, below are the facts as far as Interchange Construction by various regimes is concerned.

Interchanges constructed under the NDC (2009 – 2016)
● Kwame Nkrumah Circle
● Ring Road Flyover
●Kasoa Interchange
●Giffard Road
●Airport Hills
●Obetsebi Phase 1
●Pokuase Interchange
●Tema Motorway Interchange Phase 1
● Flowerpot
●Suhum Interchange

Interchanges constructed under the NPP (2017 – 2022)

●Tamale Interchange (completed)
●East Legon Underpass (completed)
● Nungua Interchange (Ongoing)
●Adjiringanor (Ongoing)
●PTC Interchange – Synohydro (Ongoing)
● Kpone Barrier, Dawhenya, Prampram and Savanah Interchanges (Not started)
●Obetsebi Lamptey Interchange – Phase 2 (Ongoing)

2. New Roads
Regarding the so-called detailed breakdown of new roads constructed by the NPP government, President Akufo-Addo after being badly exposed for lying in his 2022 SONA over so-called 10,000km of new road network in Ghana, this time around decided to put together a document which presents asphaltic overlays, resealing, sectional rehabilitation, regravelling and even reshaping and pothole patching as new roads constructed by his government betweent
2017 – 2022.

The Facts

A. 2022 document submitted to Parliamentary Select Committee on Roads and Highways

●New Road Construction – 68.50km
● Total Road Works (asphalt overlay, construction, gravelling/regravelling, partial reconstruction, reconstruction, rehabilitation, resealing, spot improvement & upgrading) – 4,263.37km

B. 2023 Annexed document to SONA address

● New Road Construction – 615.82km
● Total Road Works (asphalt overlay, construction, gravelling/regravelling, partial reconstruction, reconstruction, rehabilitation, resealing, upgrading/surfacing) – 11,974.96

QUESTIONS
1. Where are the 547.32km of New Road Construction between 2022 and March, 2023?

2. Why is the figure for Completed Projects (Total Road Works) and Periodic Maintenance, between 2017 – 2022, the same 11,974.96 km? Clearly, something does not add up!

CONCLUSION
● President Akufo-Addo’s claim in 2022 that his government had constructed over 10,000km of new roads was a lie.
● The President clearly repeated this same lie in his SONA address to Parliament yesterday, because;

1. The annexed document submitted to Parliament yesterday, merely presents total road works (including asphalt overlays, resealing spot improvements etc) of 11,974.96km between 2017 – 2022, as new roads. These are NOT new road constructions. Therefore,
President Akufo-Addo lied!

2. Their own document shows actual construction (new roads) of only 615.82km, between 2017 – 2022. Ghanaians are calling on them to show evidence of these new roads.

Other Fabrications

1. Volta Region Roads

The attached document peddled an absolute lie about supposed roads constructed in the Volta Region. Whereas a summary table showcases 15.52km of roads in the Volta Region, actual details under the Regional breakdown shows only 7km of actual construction in the Volta Region ( Ho Main Road Dualization, Sokode – Civic Centre).

2. Western Region roads

Again, the Western Region summary of the annexed document showcases 67.50km of so-called new road constructions. But the detailed Regional breakdown shows a figure of 78.30km constructions. This clearly does not add and only goes to confirm the fact that government is merely conjuring up figures.

3.Bolgatanga-Bawku-Polimakom Road
Another lie peddled in the said document is when the Bolgatanga – Bawku – Polimakom Road whose construction began under the erstwhile Mahama/NDC government, has been counted as part of a so-called 108.40km of new road construction in the Upper East Region. Nothing could be further from the truth than this. The truth of the matter is that, the Akufo-Addo government upon assumption of office in 2017, completely abandoned that project and left it to rot until the Brazil Contractor packed out of site.

The contractor only recently returned to site after several demonstrations against government. So how can that project be counted as a new road being constructed by the Akufo-Addo government?

4. Cocoa Road Projects
President Akufo-Addo was conveniently silent on the abandonment of several road projects, including the Eastern Corridor Road, Cocoa roads.

On Cocoa roads, the roads Minister, Hon. Kwesi Amoako Atta disclosed at a meet the press on 22nd May, 2021 that government had awarded a total of 325 projects (4,853km) of cocoa roads at a cost of GHS15 billion. President Akufo-Addo conveniently chose not to mention a word about cocoa roads, knowing fully well that all these 325 projects (4,853km) have been abandoned completely.

Hon. Kwame Governs Agbodza
(Minority Chief Whip/Ranking Member, Roads and Highways Committee of Parliament)