Hon. Emmanuel Kwasi Bedzrah, Member of Parliament (MP) for Ho West, has demanded a forensic audit of the World Bank’s Ghana office and the Greater Accra Resilient and Integrated Development (GARID) project, citing transparency and accountability concerns.
Accordingly, Mr. Bedzrah pointed out that a substantial amount of money has been invested in the project with alarmingly little transparency, raising serious concerns about accountability and value for money.
Furthermore, Mr. Bedzrah revealed that despite payments being made, there is no tangible outcome to show for the project, prompting him to query the rationale behind continuing to borrow more funds for the same project, which has yet to yield any meaningful results.
This, he indicated, has led to inefficiencies and necessitated separate petitions from him and the Minority Leader, Hon. Cassiel Ato Forson, calling for comprehensive forensic audits to uncover potential wrongdoing.
“We [the Minority] have suspicions that there is something that is not right and why do I say that, in my field, if you have a project and you design a project, the highest you can go is either 10 percent or 20 percent, and a maximum of 30 percent for additional work, but in this case, you are going close to 60 percent for additional work, and that tells you that a lot of things were not considered at the initial stages, and so that project should be phased.
Hon. Emmanuel Kwasi Bedzrah
Moreover, Hon. Bedzrah emphasized that the project should be a distinct second phase, rather than a continuation of the previous one, to ensure a fresh start and avoid perpetuating existing issues.
As such, he emphasized that if the project is a continuation of the previous one, it necessitates a thorough examination of integrity and unresolved issues, which is why the minority is advocating for a comprehensive forensic audit to uncover any potential wrongdoing.
“We see some of our colleagues in court for the $200 million that was taken for the Saglemi Housing Project that there are visible works but with this GARID project we do not see anything tangible that merits $200 million”.
Hon. Emmanuel Kwasi Bedzrah
Parliament Approves $150m For GARID Project
Meanwhile, Parliament has approved a $150 million financing facility to support the continued development of the Greater Accra Resilient Integrated Development (GARID) project, a critical infrastructure initiative.
Despite the Minority’s earlier efforts to thwart the loan approval, the House ultimately gave it the green light after a tense headcount, with 137 lawmakers voting in favor of and 132 against the loan.
The Minority cited the incomplete state of various project sites visited by the Works and Housing Committee as the primary reason for its initial opposition to approving the loan expressing concerns over the slow pace of progress.
As such, the Minority reported that a mere 20-25% of the work had been completed at the various project sites visited, highlighting a significant gap in progress and raising concerns about the project’s overall pace and effectiveness.
“The reason why the $200 million GARID project was allocated was basically to stem perennial flooding in Accra but if the whole Odaw River has not been dredged for a whole two years and $200 million has been allocated, I do not see why we need an additional $150 million”.
Hon. Emmanuel Kwasi Bedzrah
Parliament’s approval came after a supplementary agreement had been reached between the Government of Ghana and the International Development Association (IDA), a member of the World Bank Group, to support the country’s development initiatives.
According to the government, the GARID project aims to enhance flood resilience and effective solid waste management in the Greater Accra Region, improving flood risk and promoting a safer and healthier environment for residents of Accra.
As such, the project will mitigate the impact of the flood on families, businesses, and offices located in flood-prone areas along the Odaw River channel in Accra, thereby enhancing the economic and social development of the area.
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