Akufo-Addo's Kumasi Airport Sod Cutting Ceremony 'Needless'

The Minority in Parliament say Wednesday’s sod cutting ceremony for the commencement of work on the second phase of the Kumasi Airport project was needless and a waste of time and resources.

“The purported sod cutting by the President would amount to a needless waste of time and scarce national resources in view of the fact that his predecessor, President John Dramani Mahama, performed the same ceremony on 5th December 2016,” the Minority MPs said in a statement.

The second phase of the project will encompass the extension of the current length of the runway by 319 from 1,981 metres to 2,300, the construction of a new terminal building with the capacity to handle one million passengers per year. It will also include the construction of an apron area and related taxiway; and the undertaking of ancillary works.

The Minority National Democratic Congress (NDC) legislators say former President Mahama performed the ceremony after securing parliamentary approval of a loan of 65,037,500 Euros from Banco Santander S.A. and export credit support from the United Kingdom Export Finance Agency, for onward lending in the sum of 7,762,500 Euros, to the Ghana Airports Company Limited, in November 2016.

Meanwhile, at the event, the President Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo urged contractors working on the project to ensure that the project is completed within 24 months.

With funding already secured for the project, President Akufo-Addo stated that “there should be no excuse for any delays by contractors to generate cost overruns. Delivery of the project on schedule should be the watchword of the contractors.”

Read the full statement by the Minority on Wednesday’s ceremony below.

STATEMENT BY MINORITY IN PARLIAMENT ON PURPORTED SOD CUTTING FOR WORK ON KUMASI AIRPORT PHASE II

The Minority Caucus in Parliament has received with shock and bewilderment, news that President Akufo Addo will cut the sod for work on the second phase of the Kumasi International Airport.

The purported sod cutting by the President would amount to a needless waste of time and scarce national resources in view of the fact that his predecessor, President John Dramani Mahama, performed the same ceremony on 5th December 2016.

President Mahama performed the ceremony after securing parliamentary approval of a loan of 65,037,500 Euros from Banco Santander S.A. and export credit support from the United Kingdom Export Finance Agency, for onward lending in the sum of 7,762,500 Euros, to the Ghana Airports Company Limited, in November 2016.

This was preceded by Cabinet and PPA approvals.
We note that the same contractor with whom an agreement was entered in 2016 to execute the project has been retained for the project. We find it inexplicable, therefore, that the President would waste scarce national resources only to perform a ceremony that has already been undertaken by his processor.

This sort of conduct smacks of desperation and are symptomatic of a government that has nothing to show for the billions of Ghana Cedis it has borrowed since January 2017.

The Minority caucus in Parliament deplores this level of populism and shallow opportunism through which the Akufo Addo government seeks to take undue credit for the work of others.

We wish to also put on record that similar work was done by the NDC government under President Mahama in respect of the Tamale Airport and we expect that the Akufo Addo government will go through the motions and formalities to ensure the commencement of work on phase two of that project.

About $ 150 million was approved by Parliament in November 2016 for the execution of the second phase for the project following the completion of the first which saw the extension of the runway.

Hon Kwame Governs Agbodza
MP for Adaklu and Ranking Member on Road and Transport Committee of Parliament.

Wednesday, 6th June 2018