Sammy Gyamfi is National Communications Officer of the NDC
The largest opposition party in Ghana has rejected explanations given for “no work done” despite payment of some $12 million in the Pwalugu Multipurpose Irrigation Dam matter.
In a talkshow on Joy News monitored by rawgist.com over the weekend, Communications Officer of the NDC, Sammy Gyamfi insisted the NDC will “follow the matter to its logical conclusion”. He says the money paid should be retrieved for the development of the state.
GIDA in a May 28 press statement said the payment formed part of the terms of the contract that required the contractor, Messrs Power Construction Corporation of China (POWERCHINA), to be paid a total sum of $11.9 million as a mobilisation fee once the contractor was able to provide “advance payment guarantee from a reputable bank.”
The Ghana Irrigation Development Authority GIDA also explained that the government was at no point, at risk by approving the payment and that “contrary to the claim that no work has been done, the contractor has delivered both preconstruction documents and some physical works (camp and access roads).”
Minority members of Parliament’s Works and Housing Committee raised concerns over the payment and visited the project site last week to inspect the progress of work done.
They were left disappointed because according to the members, the contractor had sold materials meant for the project and abandoned the site.
Communications Officer of the NDC, Sammy Gyamfi however insists that GIDA’s explanation was an afterthought and adds that the contractor has been paid for no work done. He says such activities as Soil and land suitability assessments, Environmental and social impact assessment, topographic survey and mapping, Geology and geotechnical studies and drawings amongst others do not form part of mobilization.
“If you check VRA’s website, they say the feasibility for the Pwalugu multipurpose irrigation dam was done by VRA between 2013 and 2018. All the things GIDA is claiming were done as part of the feasibility between 2013 and 2018” he insisted.
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