To NDC, politics means development – Oteng-Adjei

Dr Joseph Oteng-Adjei, Minister for Energy, has said with the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government, politics means development.

He said, "to this end, some of us who the President John Evans Atta Mills has assigned various portfolios are constantly reminded to add value and help improve the living standards of the people".

The Minister said this at Half Assini on Monday when he addressed heads of decentralized departments, workers and some members of the Jomoro District Assembly at the assembly’s conference room.

The Minister was in the district as part of a nationwide tour to acquaint himself with ongoing electrification projects in the country.

Dr. Oteng-Adjei said the energy sector in the 1990’s set out to extend electricity to all parts of the country from its initial rate of 16 percent and was then up to Kumasi, with the perception that it was not technically feasible to extend it to the Northern part of the country.

He said by the year 2000 when the NDC was leaving office, the electricity access rate in the country was 43 percent and gladly the New Patriotic Party (NPP) with its two administrations moved it to 54 percent by 2008 when leaving office.

The Minister said President Mills' team has now moved electricity access rate in the country to 72 percent in three and half years in office.

Dr Oteng-Adjei said in the Jomoro District, government had so far connected 30 communities to the national grid and 29 more are in progress to make it 59 in the first term of President Mills’ administration and hoped to connect each community in the district at the end of the second term.

He outlined government plans to ensure improved power supply in the country from the next 18 months through replacement of old cables and over-aged generators in the system.

The Minister said cabinet had approved all that is required for the programme and asked Ghanaians to be patient with the government to enable it provide them uninterrupted power supply in the country towards the socio-economic development in the near future.

Mr. Sylvester Daddieh, Jomoro District Chief Executive, in his welcome address said the district is one of the President’s “Better Ghana” agenda beneficiaries so far as infrastructure developments are concern.

He said the people of Jomoro can testify that only the NDC government has improved their lots and urged them to renew the mandate of the President in December for more of such projects.

Mr. Daddieh suggested that, the proposed oil enclave road in the area which would start from Samenye barrier to New Town, should rather begin from the New Town end where the road is comparatively in very deplorable state.

He expressed concern about the slow pace of ongoing electrification works in some communities and urged the contractor, Weddy Lemond, to speed up the projects.

The DCE thanked the government for hooking Old Nzulezo the tourist attraction centre in the district to the national grid after it has been declared impossible by some past governments.**