$1m per constituency being used for special projects — Hawa Koomson

The Minister of Special Development Initiative, Madam Mavis Hawa Koomson, has debunked assertions that the government has not fulfilled its promise of allocating every constituency with one million dollars for its development.

According to the minister, a lot of projects earmarked to be constructed with the fund were ongoing at the various districts with some even near completion.

The minister, who was in the Volta Region on a five-day tour to inspect ongoing projects under the Ministry’s Infrastructure for Poverty Eradication Project (IPEP), said there was a wrong perception by many people that the one million dollar per constituency was money that would be given to the various constituencies for usage of its developmental projects.

‘But the issue is that, if we share this money among communities in the constituencies, we will end up sharing our own blood because it will bring conflict. The government is not in to bring conflict to the communities but rather development’ she noted.

The IPEP projects

Speaking to the Daily Graphic, she explained that the money was to be used for specific projects under the IPEP to address certain needs of the constituencies.

‘Under IPEP, each of the 275 constituencies has been allocated the cedi equivalent of US1million dollars this year to be invested in infrastructure development’ she said.

Madam Hawa Koomson said: ‘the one million per constituency is here with the ministry and we are using the money for the 1,000 metric tonnes prefabricated warehouses under the one district, one warehouse policy, 10-seater water closet institutional toilet with mechanised boreholes to address sanitation issues and a community-based solar powered water systems and an ambulance per constituency’ she said.
The ambulances, she was hopeful, would be purchased early next year for every constituency as the ministry had started with the procurement process.

The use of the ‘one million dollars per constituency’ money for projects, she explained, was to ensure effective use of the money and also for accountability purposes.

Volta Region share

The Volta Region was to receive 78 water facilities, 78 toilets with a breakdown of three in every district and three warehouses.

The entourage made up of officials from the ministry, consultants and officials of the Coastal Development Authority inspected the ongoing projects in Ho, Ho west, Kpando, Biakoye, Nkwanta South and North, Krachie East and West, Adaklu and South Tongu.

In Ho and Shia, the minister inspected a ten-seater toilet facility for the Ho Model School and Shia Senior High School, a water facility at Ho Polyclinic and a warehouse at Akoefe. She was impressed with the level of work done even though some of the projects were at the initial stages.

She believed that by the close of the year, many of the projects would have been completed based on the assurances from the contractors and handed over to the Coastal Development Authority to manage.

Meanwhile, two contractors in the region had their contracts terminated by the minister for failing to embark on their projects in accordance with the agreement.

The minister said the contracts would be re-awarded to contractors who had the capacity to deliver quality work on time.