Information Minister, Fatimatu Abubakar, has responded to claims made by National Democratic Congress (NDC) flagbearer John Dramani Mahama, who alleged that the government secured a loan to finance equipment for the District Road Improvement Programme (DRIP).
Mahama had criticized the government for making only a 15 percent down payment from the loan for the DRIP initiative.
However, during a town hall meeting in Tamale on Tuesday, October 8, Fati Abubakar clarified that the government used the District Assembly Common Fund to acquire the DRIP equipment.
She emphasized that the initiative, launched by President Akufo-Addo, is funded by the government and not reliant on loans as claimed.
“This is an initiative of President Akufo-Addo, his legacy and a programme that is funded by his government. So for whatever value or propaganda value, if someone makes it appear as if we have contracted some loan and the financing has allowed us to pay for only 15 percent but we can’t pay for the rest, let them know the District Assembly’s Common Fund, which is a statutory fund that does not have political colour was leveraged on. And that is what the government has leveraged to fund this DRIP initiative.”
The DRIP program, officially launched on July 31, 2024, by President Akufo-Addo, aims to address the need for road maintenance and construction equipment in metropolitan, municipal, and district assemblies to boost connectivity and promote economic development.