‘Maybe the GH¢500 million cathedral hole was your only good policy’ – Basintale hits back at NPP over EV bike criticism 

Chief Executive Officer of the Youth Employment Agency (YEA), Malik Basintale, has hit back at critics of the agency’s decision to acquire 10,000 electric bikes for selected young people.

Basintale, who is also the Deputy Communications Officer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), defended the policy and questioned the priorities of the previous New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration.

The YEA boss, in a social media post on Tuesday, August 25, compared the cost of the electric bikes to money he alleged was spent on the foundation stage of the National Cathedral under the previous government.

“You were in power for 8-years. Your government spent over GH¢500 million to dig a ‘hole’ making it the World’s most expensive hole,” Basintale said.

He also criticised the previous administration over the unemployment rate, citing a figure of more than 14.7%.

Basintale argued that the YEA’s electric bike initiative was a more productive use of public funds because it was intended to create employment opportunities for thousands of young people.

He said the initiative involved a structured delivery service system similar to models used in developed countries.

“Someone comes and uses less than 10% of that to acquire EV bikes for over 10,000 Youth in a well regulated and structured delivery service system like it's done in the most advanced countries. You are there shouting bad policy, bad policy,” he said.