The Ministry of Roads and Highways has said the statement issued by the Minority Chief Whip Kwame Agbodza on the State of the Nation Address delivered by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, especially the aspects that touched on roads that, contained factual inaccuracies.
President Akufo-Addo in the address in Parliament on Wednesday, March 8, said that his administration has built more roads than any other government in Ghana’s 4th Republic history.
Mr Speaker, I would like to state categorically that this Government has built more roads than any government in the history of the 4th Republic, and Mr. Speaker, the details of all these roads are attached in the annex to this message,” the president said.
He added, “I have done so because, last year, when I made a similar pronouncement, I was met with howls and gasps of incredulity from the Minority benches, and so I thought it’s appropriate, this time, to present it as an annex to the statement, which will be part of Hansard.”
But Mr Agbodza described President Nana Akufo-Addo’s comment as a ”barefaced lie.”
In a statement, Mr Agbodza who is also the Ranking Member of Roads and Highways Committee of Parliament said “the claim that the Akufo-Addo government has constructed more Interchanges between (2017 – 2022), than the NDC (2009 – 2016), is an unfortunate fabrication that should not be peddled by no less a person than President Akufo-Addo. The attempt to expropriate for his government, the following projects, is most scandalizing and such dishonesty must be called out and condemned by all; Pokuase Interchange; Tema Motorway Interchange Phase 1; Obetsebi Lamptey Interchange Phase 1; Flowerpot and duhun interchange
“Funding for these projects was secured by the erstwhile Mahama/NDC administration, contracts signed and works ongoing before President Akufo-Addo and the NPP came into office in 2017. The Suhum Interchange project for instance was about 85% completed when the Mahama/NDC administration exited office in 2016. It is therefore disingenuous for the President to peddle such a confident lie and insist that this be recorded into the Hansard of Parliament as truth.”
But in a statement responding to him, the Ministry of Roads and Highways said “With regards 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 31st March 2022 wherein the length of roads completed were accounted for.