Deputy Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources, Amidu Issahaku Chinnia, has urged for transparency concerning the finances designated for the Pwalugu Multipurpose Dam initiative in the Upper East Region.
Expressing concern as the Member of Parliament for Sissala East, Chinnia noted the absence of substantial progress in the Talensi District, despite the project being allocated funds by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration.
Chinnia emphasized the critical necessity for an inquiry into the approximately $12 million already allocated to the project.
During an appearance on Metro TV on Tuesday, May 28, he underscored the importance of conducting a comprehensive investigation to unveil the details surrounding the expenditure.
He emphasized that, in light of the project-related concerns that emerged approximately a month ago, the government should have promptly addressed them through the appropriate ministries or agencies.
Mr. Chinnia reiterated the necessity of such a response to uphold transparency and accountability for the Ghanaian populace.
I would also agree that so much money has been spent on the Pwalugu Dam, and we haven’t made any headway. I would also agree that there is the need for a thorough investigation to establish what has actually happened with these expenditures because we need to know because the possibilities are many, and I don’t want to throw a guess as to what might have happened with the money.”
“So for now, we all have to be patient and entreat the government to get the contractors, and the consultants to explain why those monies were paid,”he stated.
The Parliamentary Minority has pledged to pursue every avenue to ensure transparency regarding the funds designated for the proposed Pwalugu Multipurpose Dam project in the Upper East Region.
John Jinapor, Ranking Member on the Mines and Energy Committee of Parliament, reaffirmed their commitment to holding individuals accountable for any misconduct related to this issue.
“We will activate all the parliamentary processes to retrieve that amount of money, almost 200 million cedis, that has been dashed to this contractor. Somebody must be held accountable. $12 million can do a lot in this country.”
“So we’ll use every legitimate means, every legal means to retrieve the money and punish those who have caused this financial crime and financial loss to the state,” he said.
Initiated in 2019, the project was envisioned to incorporate a hydro-solar hybrid system, comprising 60 MW of hydropower and 50 MW of solar power, with a target completion date set for the latter half of 2024.
President Akufo-Addo ceremonially inaugurated the commencement of the $993 million Pwalugu multipurpose dam project in the Talensi District back in November 2019.
Recently, the Bank of Ghana (BoG) responded to queries concerning the $12 million disbursement to MS Power China International Group Limited for the project.