Ken Ofori-Atta
GOVERNMENT
HAS pledged to undertake massive infrastructural projects in 2020.
Finance
Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, who disclosed this in Parliament, Wednesday, when he
delivered government’s 2020 budget statement and economic policy, said the
projects would be executed under the Infrastructure for Poverty Eradication
Programme (IPEP).
He
told lawmakers that to accelerate the delivery of basic infrastructure needs of
each constituency, a number of varying infrastructure projects such as
culverts, small bridges, community centres, police posts, classroom blocks,
markets, among others, would commence in 2020.
In
keeping with government’s commitment of bettering the lives of Ghanaians across
the country, the minister underscored that “these basic infrastructural
facilities will help to improve the lives of the rural and peri-urban
population.”
Dam Projects
He
also said government had made adequate allocation to begin the construction of
a dam to check the spillage from the Bagre Dam.
He explained that “this project when completed will permanently end
the annual flooding in the northern part of Ghana as a result of spillage of
Bagre Dam in Burkina Faso.”
He
continued that under the ‘One Village One Dam’ project, about 200 dams had been
completed, and an additional 360 were under construction.
Other Initiatives
In
fulfilment of government’s promise, he added, IPEP had succeeded in procuring
307 ambulances for distribution to each constituency and all regional and
teaching hospitals to enhance healthcare.
He
noted that a total of 50 prefabricated grain warehouses had been constructed to
reduce post-harvest losses, adding that 50 rural markets were under
construction to enhance trade within local assemblies.
According
to him, 1,000 sanitary facilities were also under construction to address open
defecation in the country.
Furthermore,
the minister intimated that a total of 181 companies had benefited from support
under the ‘One District, One Factory’ programme.
He
added that 12,000 start-up businesses had received training support under the
Government Entrepreneurship Programme while 80 business incubation hubs had
been set up across the country to build the capacity of entrepreneurs.
Assurance
He assured: “We will accelerate financing for infrastructure by actively leveraging innovative sources of finance,” adding “we are strengthening the capacity of the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund (GIIF) to tap into global financial markets, including blended finance and sovereign wealth funds.”
BY Melvin Tarlue
