The Ministry of Roads and Highways has mounted a spirited defense of President Nana Akufo-Addo’s claim that the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) has built more roads in Ghana’s history than any other government.
Minority Chief Whip and Ranking Member on the Roads Committee in Parliament, Mr Kwame Governs Agbodza, had described the president’s claim on government’s construction of roads in the State of the Nation Address (SONA) as “a barefaced lie’.
The minority MP also accused the president of taking former President John Mahama’s road achievements.
He said in a statement after the President’s delivery of the SONA that it was “an unfortunate fabrication that should not be peddled by no less a person than President Akufo-Addo”, adding: “The attempt to expropriate for his government, the following projects, is most scandalising and such dishonesty must be called out and condemned by all’.
But in a rebuttal carried in a press release issued last Friday , the ministry said the issues, as presented by Mr Agbodza, “contain some inaccuracies and do not represent the full facts”.
“With regard to the length of road projects completed as Stated in the 2022 state of the nation address (SONA), we wish to refer to our press statement dated 31 March 2022 wherein the length of roads completed were accounted for’.
According to the ministry, “further, the annex to the 2023 SONA, as presented to Parliament by H.E President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo provides the details of all completed road projects between January 2017 to December 2022”.
It added: “The 231-page document provides such details as the region, metropolis/municipality, road name and length completed, and the type of construction activity undertaken on the road”.
The statement said, “these are facts that can be verified by any member of the public.”
The Ministry noted that in the spirit of transparency and accountability, it had widely circulated the information on roads constructed on all its digital media platforms for public consumption.
It further assured the public that it was committed to providing the necessary road infrastructure for the socio-economic development of the country.
