Following President John Dramani Mahama’s tour of Western Region as part of his ‘Accounting to the People’ tour, the Western Regional branch of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), has urged the people of the region to see beyond what they call the President’s propaganda as the elections draw near.
Last week, President Mahama was in the region for a working tour to commission and inspect some projects, but the NPP has accused him of spewing “lies and throwing dust into the eyes of the people for political expediency.”
The NPP at a news conference on Tuesday, emphasized the NDC’s poor handling of the fishing industry and said the party has a history of making unfulfilled promises to fisher folk.
They highlighted the NDC’s sale of the State Fishing Corporation which had branches throughout the country and employed several thousands of Ghanaians.
“For 19 years, the (P)NDC made promises to fisher folks in the country but never fulfilled a single one of them.
“The people of most fishing communities including Shama, New Takoradi, Dixcove, Axim, Half Assini, and others, were promised that their fishing piers were going to be dredged, it never happened.”
They reminded the people of the region of the NPP’s commitment to solving the challenges of the fishing industry when they were in power.
“The NPP showed commitment to the fishing industry by creating a separate Ministry for the fishing sector so that their challenges could be dealt with appropriately.
“Consequently, infrastructure in that sector was improved, investment in the fishing industry was boosted and support to small-scale fishermen was provided.”
They accused the NDC government of halting all projects benefiting the fisher folk to stop when they retained power in 2009.
“The NDC government took over in 2009 and ordered all projects to stop and so the cold stores construction which was on going, and the Nyanyaano one about almost completed, was stopped till 2015 (6 years) and just last week that of Shama and Half Assini after 7 years were commissioned.”
Below is the full press statement
TRUTH PRESS CONFERENCE ON THE STATE OF PROJECTS COMMISSIONED AND INSPECTED BY PRESIDENT JOHN MAHAMA DURING HIS WORKING TOUR OF THE WESTERN REGION FISHERIES
The (P)NDC totally ran down the fishing industry in Ghana by first selling off the State Fishing Corporation which had branches throughout the country and employed several thousands of Ghanaians.
The regime sold off the corporation’s assets of scores of trawlers and fish storage Cold Stores to themselves. Many of the trawlers causing problems in Ghana today were registered by the (P)NDC to their apparatchiks. For 19 years, the (P)NDC made promises to fisher folks in the country but never fulfilled a single one of them.
The people of most fishing communities including Shama, New Takoradi, Dixcove, Axim, Half Assini, etc were promised that their fishing piers were going to be dredged, it never happened. The NPP showed commitment to the fishing industry by creating a separate Ministry for the Fishing sector so that their challenges could be dealt with appropriately. Consequent to that, infrastructure in that sector was improved, investment in the fishing industry was boosted and support to small-scale fishermen was provided. Feasibility studies, design and cost benefit analysis for all the 14 fishing harbors were completed and handed over to the NPP government through the late Mrs Gladys Asmah by a Dutch Engineering Consultium, DHV in 2007.
It was headed by Mr Richard Anamoo, a port construction engineer and now the Director General of GPHA-Tema. The total cost for all the 14 projects was $148.00 million with Elmina and Jamestown being the highest at $16.5 million each. The others were Axim, Dixcove, Elmina, Moree, Winneba, Mumford, Gomoa Fetteh, Senya Bereku, Teshie, Ada, Keta and Dzameni and Tapa Abotoasi on the Volta Lake.
These projects included the building of 2 storey Administration blocks, net mending sheds, kindergartens, premix and other fuel depots, 12 seater toilet complex and washrooms, entertainment centres, breakwaters, Quay platform, etc for every site.
The Ministry signed a memo with the Chinese government for funding along the Bui Dam project, which was to start from January 2009, Ghana government was to firm the process with China and commence work with 30% counterpart local funding. Zoomlion trucks began hauling rocks and boulders to the Jamestown site as one of the local groups.
The NDC stopped the process and later in 2010 submitted same documents to the Chinese government as part of the $3 billion CBS loan at an inflated cost of $250.00 million. The Chinese did not pay so the project ceased – who then has the fishing industry and its communities at heart? On the cold store project – six large capacity cold stores along the fishing coast were to be built to support the fishing industry.
This project was a 7 million Euro Grant sought for by the late Mrs Gladys Asmah, Minister for Fisheries from the Spanish Government during an ICCAT meeting in Spain in 2007.
It was a TURN-KEY project with pre-fab materials to be executed by Spanish contractors only. Beneficiary communities were those who were not included in the 14 Fishing Habours/Landing sites program.
These are Half Assini, New Takoradi and Shama in the Western Region, Kormantse and Gomoa Nyanyaano in the Central Region and Prampram in the Greater Accra Region. All materials including six (6) cold vans (vehicles) arrived and were cleared at the Tema Port in November 2008.
President J.A Kufuor cut the sod for the commencement of all the Fishing Harbors and cold stores at the Jamestown site on 18th November 2008 (Ref. Ghanaian Chronicle 19th Nov 2008 edition). Both the President and Mrs Asmah took turns to cut the sod for the other sites in turns in the next 2 weeks.
The construction period for the cold stores was 6 months and so the Spanish contractors were to complete and hand over to the communities by May 2009.
The NDC government took over in 2009 and ordered all projects to stop and so the cold stores construction which was on going, and the Nyanyaano one about almost completed, was stopped till 2015 (6 years) and just last week that of Shama and Half Assini after 7 years were commissioned.
The vehicles which were left in the open sun were finally registered in 2012 and all 6 of them packed at the Ministry of Fisheries compound.
The NDC government contributed rather negatively through the delays and should rather be ashamed since their action incurred the wrath of the Spanish Government. Outboard Motors – The NPP had a hire purchase program for fishermen through the Rural Banks and Agricultural Development Bank, beneficiaries were to pay GH¢500.00 deposit and pay the balance of GH¢1,850.00 in one year.
It went on from 2005 to 2007 until 2008 when the price of the 40Hp moved up from GHC2350.00 to GHC2870.00. The NDC government cancelled the program in March 2009 but after seven (7) years, in an election year knowing the harm they have caused the fishing industry, government has proposed to take 30% off the cost of outboard motor and the 70% paid in three (3) years after their mismanagement has drastically increased the price per outboard motor to GHC13 900.00 now.
So even at a subsidized rate of 30%, the costs of outboard motors today are twice as high as what pertained in Kufuor’s time.
In 2012 (an election year), there was a similar arrangement for the purchase of outboard motors which turned out to be a vote-buying strategy so we live to see how this arrangement will work and help our fisher folk with the tremendous increase in fishing net which was GHc800.00 per bundle in 2008 but now GHc2,400.00 and pre-mix fuel which was GHC2.60 per gallon in 2008 but now GHC7.40.
Signed: Okatakyie Amankwaa Afrifa, W/R NPP Communications Director
Source: citifmonline.com
