Government under fire over “One Million Dollars Per Constituency”

The National Democratic Congress has accused President Akufo-Addo of failing to redeem his promise to provide every constituency with a million dollars each year.

Addressing journalists at the maiden edition of the party’s weekly press briefings in Accra on Monday, the Minority Chief Whip, Alhaji Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka, was scathingly critical about “One Million Dollars Per Constituency”, formally known as the Infrastructure for Poverty Eradication Programme (IPEP).

He said after assuming office nearly four years ago, and despite having the benefit of the most generous resources of any president in the history of Ghana, Akufo-Addo has little to show for his flagship promise for Ghana’s 275 constituencies.

Substandard dugouts, not dams

The Minority Chief Whip said three and a half years in to its tenure, the NPP government owes every constituency US$4 million each. Yet the constituencies have only a few toilets, warehouses, markets, mechanised water systems, ambulances and substandard dugouts to show for the claims.

“It is instructive to note that per the one million dollars every year per constituency promise of President Akufo-Addo, each constituency should have received a total of $3 million, which leads to a total of $825 million by now (excluding that of the year 2020), or benefited from development projects equivalent to that amount by now,” Alhaji Muntaka said.

Data from the Ministry of Special Development Initiatives, submitted to Parliament in the 2020 Budget Statement, shows a very different outcome, he said. The total capital expenditure on projects undertaken for the programme between 2017 and 2019, said Alhaji Muntaka, is a paltry GHC462,979,103 – equivalent to $81 million.

Inflated costs

Alhaji Muntaka, who is also the MP for Asawase, said the amount spent so far represents 9.8% of the $825 million that the government is supposed to have released by now.

He also claimed that costs of those projects executed so far have been inflated. Moreover, MPs have been sidelined in the choice and execution of development projects in their constituencies and the disbursement of funds for the programme.

He said the entire $81 million spent on the programme so far is much less than the funding under John Mahama’s government for just the Community Water and Sanitation Agency, a subsidiary of the Ministry of Works and Housing.

Charles Credence

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