Former president John Dramani Mahama has bemoaned the government’s lack of commitment in completing abandoned projects inherited from the erstwhile NDC government.
While addressing the Eastern Regional House of Chiefs in Koforidua on Tuesday, 12 October 2021, as part of his Thank You tour of that part of the country, the 2020 presidential candidate of the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), complained to the traditional leaders about the current government’s abandonment of several uncompleted projects started under his administration.
“Nananom, there’s a very worrying development that I cannot avoid talking about and that is the issue of abandoned projects”, Mr Mahama noted, pointing out: “Governments are enjoined to continue the projects began by their predecessors”.
“Unfortunately, it will appear that after 2016, the new government that came, has either advertently or inadvertently refused to work on many projects that the previous governments started and I can name so many of them: there are road projects, hospital projects, school projects”, he said.
For instance, Mr Mahama observed: “I know in my brother Kwawumanhene’s jurisdiction, the famous Abetifi Hospital is crying for continuation and completion”.
“If you go to other places, there are many of such hospitals that have been abandoned”, he complained.
However, he said: “I’m happy to note that the Somanya Hospital has been completed but then it needs to be operationalised as quickly as possible”.
The government, he mentioned, “says it is going to build 111 more hospitals”.
“If some have been finished, at least, let them start working while you bring in the extra 111 or if some were ongoing, complete them and add the 111 hospitals”, Mr Mahama insisted.
“Unfortunately, it looks like there’s more attention in cutting sod for the new 111 hospitals than there is for completing the hospitals that are already under construction and, so, these are things that I think we need to draw attention to”, he said.