This follows a recent press conference addressed by the NDC in the region which called on the government to honour all financial obligations to the contractor executing the project to return to the site.

NDC presser

 Addressing a press conference at the party’s regional secretariat in Bolgatanga recently, the NDC Regional Communication Officer, Abdallah Jonathan Salifu, said there must not be further delays to the road project since it had already suffered enough delays.

 He said, “we wish to remind President Akufo-Addo of his pledge to the chiefs and people of the region to complete the road project as scheduled during his tour of the region”. 

 Further, he alleged that about 400 workers engaged by the contractor have been laid off due to the government's failure to honour its financial obligations to the contractor, Queroz Galvao.

 NPP’s response

 However, responding to the NDC’s claims in a counter-press conference yesterday, the Director of Communications of the NPP, Upper East, Peter Ayinbisa Ayamga, said the arguments put forward by the NDC were nothing but baseless propaganda, lies and ill-intended information.

 “What moral right does the NDC have to talk about the road project when, in their eight years of power between 2009 and 2016, they did nothing towards the execution of the road project they are shamelessly talking about today?” he asked.

 He stated that despite protests by the youth of Bawku and commercial drivers about the bad state of the road during the era of the NDC, they reneged on their several promises to construct the road until they exited power in 2016.

 He stressed “it is trite knowledge that the road project has been at the centre of political discussion in the region since 2009, until it was fictitiously awarded to a contractor by the NDC in 2016,” Mr Ayamba stated.

 Although Mr Ayamba admitted that their checks indicated that the contractor had relocated a number of his equipment out of the region, the Ministry of Roads and Highways had engaged the contractor to resume work momentarily, without delay.

 He added that “based on this official communication, we have the strongest conviction that the contractor will return to the site to continue the project soon”, noting: “therefore, let us remain calm and be assured that work will continue on the project as soon as possible to bring relief to the road users.

 While saying the claims by the NDC on the road project were propaganda infested and ill-intended to run down the good works of the government, Mr Ayamga challenged the NDC to provide documentary proof of its claim that the road project was suspended because of the Domestic Debt Exchange Programme (DDEP).

 “The NPP government has always been committed to ensuring that every region had its share of the national cake, which had been demonstrated through the implementation of numerous policies and initiatives which had positively impacted the lives of the people in the region,” the Director Communications said.
On the lay-off of workers by the contractor, he noted that the number of human resources required at the inception of the project will not be the same when, currently, over 64 per cent of the road project has been done.