NDC touts development credentials in Volta Region
The Volta Regional wing of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has set the record straight on its development projects in the Volta Region during its tenure in governance in the country.
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It claimed that it had delivered more projects than the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and that claims that the NPP executed some particular projects in the region were found to be half-truths or blatant lies and untruths.
The Volta Regional Chairman of the NDC, Mr John Kwadjo Gyapong, stated this when he addressed a press conference in reaction to one held by the regional wing of NPP to rebut President’s John Mahama’s claim that NPP had nothing to show in the region so far as development projects were concerned.
He said what the president meant by the statement “the NPP have done nothing for Volta Region” was a comparison of projects of the NPP and those of the NDC in the Volta Region, and that those of the NDC far-outweighed the NPP’s.
Row over water supply
Mr Gyapong said the claim by the NPP to have supplied water to 15 towns and villages was insignificant as compared to NDC, for in the Anlo Constituency alone, the Member of Parliament provided water to 40 towns and villages which beats the entire NPP record when it comes to water extension.
He said the NPP’s lies were exposed again when they said they had constructed certain roads which were either blatant lies or half-truths in order to lure the innocent masses to vote for them in the November polls.
Row over Keta Sea Defence project
About the Keta Sea Defence project, the regional chairman said available documents at the Ministry of Works and Housing and the Keta Municipality revealed that the money for the project was sourced under President J.J. Rawlings from the EXIM Bank, USA, and the company MLS Great Lakes Dredge & Docks Company of USA undertook the works in association with W.F Baird& Associates.
Row over Ho Polytechnic
Concerning the construction of the Ho Polytechnic, he said the projects which were undertaken by the NPP were all sponsored under the GetFUND, adding that if the building of an auditorium and hostel amounted to building of a polytechnic, then Volta Region had a lot of polytechnics because the region is dotted with auditoriums and hostels.
Mr Gyapong said the NDC mobilised resources for road construction and handed over to NPP under the road sector, adding that the Tema–Sogakope road, Dzodze-Noepe road, Akatsi-Aflao and Sogakope-Akatsi were all funded under credit acquired from the African Development Fund, ECOWAS Fund, KFW from Germany.
“The NPP should learn to give credit where credit is due or have they gone for different sources of funds for these projects? he asked.
He listed more than 30 road projects that were executed by the NDC with the assurance that the construction of the Eastern corridor road would be completed by August this year.
Fibre optic project
Mr Gyapong said under the Mahama administration, a University of Health and Allied Science (UHAS) had been established in addition to the laying of a fibre optic cable from Ho through the northern part of the Volta Region to Bawku and the project sought to improve the future outlook of education and business in the Volta Region.
He also said under the NDC government, 15 districts were earmarked for community senior high schools and when completed they would be a source of permanent employment to the people of the region.
National Health Insurance Scheme
Concerning health, Mr Gyapong said the NPP scored zero in the sector since all the district hospitals and the regional one were constructed under NDC, that the claim that the NPP brought the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) and the NDC had collapsed it had no basis because the total enrolment under the scheme had improved with an outpatient utilisation of 29.6 million in the year 2014 as compared to nine million in the year 2008.
“The question is if NHIS is collapsing, why are people still patronising the facility? Even with the NPP health insurance, how will the people in the region have access to health care if there are no hospitals in the region? he queried.
He said President Mahama had indeed exposed the NPP with his call to let the people of the region know that the only political party that could give the region any meaningful development was the NDC and that “any person or group of persons that held contrary views is an enemy to the region.”
