Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo
[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he democratization of Africa which many have embraced as the panacea for the development of the continent is faced with some setbacks. There is a clear evidence of erecting edifice and churning out policies that will be in the name of an administration hence do not complete projects started by their predecessors.
There is a clear evidence of various leaders wanting to take glory for projects and policies hence starts new projects to propel their names on the minds of the populace. To achieve this glory, they have being gently but steadily planting their persona and image on the landscape of their various countries by inscribing their names on any edifice. An act that is packed with power implication.
An example which is not far fetched is Nigeria, the national economic empowerment development strategy (NEEDS) of the Obasanjo’s administration was abandoned by Yar’adua simply because it was seen as a legacy of chief Olusegun Obasanjo. Yar’adua’s seven point agenda was replaced with the transformation agenda of Good luck Jonathan even though Jonathan was part of Yar’adua’s administration.
In Ghana there are a lot of projects which have been abandoned by successive governments, example include the Abosso glass factory, the Takwa gold refinery, the Aveyime tannery, Housing projects for the police at cape coast and many others such as roads, schools, electrification, dams, bridges etc.
The abandoning of projects still remains a conduit pipe through which Ghana’s resources are being wasted away without benefiting the people. This negative politics of abandoning projects initiated by previous governments epitomizes a sense of political immaturity, pettiness, and clear hatred towards the tax payers and revenue generators of the economy.
We cannot move further with this trend of wasteful abandoning of projects and programs merely on the basis of prejudice, selfish desire, inferiority complex and extravagance. It is no longer acceptable for any government to discontinue or abandon projects, policies and programs of an out gone administration after billions of cedis were spent on them.
There are a lot of projects dotted across the country that are uncompleted, examples include the five district water project located at Adidome , the eastern corridor road, the Ho market project, the community senior high schools, Ho airport etc that need to be completed for the tax payers to have value for money.
It is my humble plea to the president Akuffo Addo government not to be consumed by the intimacy of power and in a bid to take glory abandon existing projects and kick start new ones propelled by their manifesto.
The theatrics of power unfolding now mirrors a dangerous escalation of a trend where existing projects will be abandoned. This path when traversed would leave traces of tremendous damage to the people of Ghana hence we should guide against it. When this humble call goes unheeded, it will expose Ghanaians to hydra-headed monster that will be bleeding from risks of exchange fluctuation, interest rate fluctuation, risk allocation, loan maturing for payment without completion of projects etc.
I pray president Nana Akuffo Addo’s government live above personal glory, short sightedness and mischief in the execution of its mandate to the larger interest of Ghana.
Signed: Kafui Agbleze
( Volta Regional Communication Officer).