When will Our Politicains Tell Us Truth?

Sampson Ahi

Government and the minority have clashed over the use of €11 million grant given to Ghana by the Belgium government for the water expansion program for the people of the Nsawan-Adoagyiri area. 

Member of Parliament (MP) for the area, Frank Annor Dompreh is alleging that failure by government to properly account for the money has resulted in the Belgium government withdrawing an additional €5 million for the project. 

Mr Dompreh says government was supposed to have built a reservoir tank to store raw water but failed to do so. 

"There is some sort of dishonesty on the part of the Ministry. We met the Water Resource Commission  and the Ministry and it became clear that because they failed to render an account to the Belgium government on how they useed the money we failed to access an additional €5 million that the Belgian government was willing to dole out to us," he re-emphasised.

He said when they met with Parliament's Committee on Works and Housing, the Ministry was unable to answer questions on what use the money has been put to. 

However, in an interview on Joy News, the Deputy Minister of Water Resources Works and Housing, rubbished the claims saying government fully complied with conditions under the grant.

He explained that the existing water treatment plant at Nsawan which takes it raw water source at the Densu River has an installed capacity of 790,000 gallons per day and currently supplies water to Nsawam and its environs. 

According to Samson Ahi, the MP failed to ask the question on the floor of Parliament adding, "all these issues would have been explained to him better if he had come to ask on the floor of parliament."

Mr Ahi said with the €11 million, government undertook an expansion of the Nsawam water system to add 1.6 million gallons per day and currently the project has been completed and it is serving the people of Nsawam and surrounding communities.

He said it is a lie that government was to receive a further €5 million after accounting for the €11 million. 

The Deputy Minister recounted that the only time he was asked about the monies was when a deputy ranking member of Parliament made some allegations on Adom FM during the water crisis in Nsawam-Adoagyiri.