If there is somebody to recover this economy, it’s not our colleagues on the other side- Oppong Nkrumah

Kojo Oppong Nkrumah has discredited the implementation of the opposition National Democratic Congress’ ‘Big Push Agenda’.

Going down memory lane, the Information Minister intimated that the NDC has reneged on fulfilling similar promises in their proposed 2012 manifesto.

 “If there is somebody to recover this economy, it’s not our colleagues on the other side. And you’ve seen how even their big push my good friend is struggling to explain how they intend to go about this Big Push argument”.

The Ofoase-Ayirebi MP, speaking in an interview, further plunged the credibility of the ‘Big Push Agenda’ under the scrutiny lens by giving instances of failed promises and as such, cannot be trusted to go by their word.

 “Very simply put, the first time they talked about a $10 billion infrastructure programme aimed at delivering any sort of benefit Ghanaians was during the era of Mr. Mahama when they sold us the idea of the Hope City.”

“It may sound like a funny subject but that was the first time they sold us a $10 billion infrastructure programme, a public private partnership when Mr. Mahama came to cut sod around Weija explaining to us how it was going to be self-financing. They were going to build this infrastructure, it was going to lead to technology and jobs etc. And by the time they were leaving power, beyond the sod cutting, not much had happened.”

Contrarily, the former deputy Finance Minister, Cassiel Ato Forson insisted that the NDC when elected into office will indeed construct an inland port which will predominantly cater for the Sahel Region.

The Information Minister, however, shot down his argument by asserting that the proposed port is a rehash of a promise in the 2012 NDC manifesto.

 “In their 2012 manifesto, when you look at their big infrastructure plan there’s no difference from what they’re propagating now. When you take roads and railways, for example they say they’re going to do the Eastern Corridor, Tema-Esikuma-Ho-Hohoe-Jasikan and Yendi-Nalerigu-Kulungugu with Nkwanta in the Volta region as an inland port. Where are these projects? They never did them.

“When you take the Western Corridor, here, they talked about Elubo-Asemkrom-Enchi-Gawso-Sunyani-Bamboi-Bole-Wa-Hamile with Gambia number two in the Brong Ahafo region as an inland port, where is it?

“They said Central spine Accra-Kumasi-Techiman-Bolgatanga-Paga with Boankra in the Ashanti region as an inland port, we are now working on the Boankra project. They had four years.”

Premised on these reasons, he encouraged Ghanaians to disregard promises from the NDC.

“So the first thing that even comes to mind when you hear them talking about the Big Push where they are even hiding the source of funding of the 10 billion is; what is their credibility when it comes to similar conversations?

“And it is quite clear that the last time they made similar promises to the people of Ghana these promises by the time they were leaving power had not been touched”