AFAG says worried about money voted for bungalow renovations

Accra, Dec. 16, GNA - The Alliance for Accountable Governance (AFAG) on Friday expressed disappointment with the alleged intention of government to use GH¢5.6 million to renovate ministerial bungalows.

"It's disheartening to note that when the staff of the National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP) has not been paid for three months, government intends to disburse GH¢5.6 million for the renovation of ministerial bungalows," Mr. Sammy Awuku, a member of AFAG, told a news conference in Accra.

AFAG said the GH¢5.6 million could have been used to provide 933 boreholes for rural dwellers adding that the amount was also 12 per cent higher than the budgeted expenditure on Police accommodation across the country.

Mr Rockson Yeboah, Engineer-in-Chief of the Public Works Department (PWD), said last week that 57 Ministerial bungalows had been renovated at a total cost of GH¢4.1 million and not 59 bungalows at GH¢4.9 million.

A media publication in Accra alleged that government had spent GH¢5.6 million on the renovation works.

PWD has also said estimates for the renovation of seven ministerial bungalows were yet to be considered by the Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing.

He said the estimates varied as per "works specification and rate of deterioration".

PWD identified the bungalows as Number 7 5th Circular Road, Cantonment; Number 1 Inner Cantonment; Number 53 Osu Residential; Number C18 Roman Ridge; Number 14 4th Circular Road; Number 53 Liberation Road and Australia House.

Mr Yeboah said the projects were erroneously captured as "ongoing", but these estimates were yet to be considered by the minister for a decision to be made.

AFAG said it was also worried that the seed amount for the Savannah Development Authority (SADA), which is geared towards the development of the three northern regions, had been pruned down from 200 million cedis to 25 million cedis.

"We are also not happy about the fact that the budget of the presidency had also been shot up by GH¢40 million when government had not been able to fulfil its promise of providing free school uniforms to pupils," he added.

The Group also called on government to wean itself from IMF and all Breton Woods institutions since they were against public spending and also had some outrageous conditionality which did not augur well for the politics of Ghana's economy.

AFAG also expressed its disappointment with government for being mute on the incessant power outages, chaotic computer school placements system and the abolishing of the Cocoa Road Improvement Programme and urged the ministries responsible for these programmes to come out with solutions quickly.

GNA