National Communications Director for the largest opposition party, National Democratic Congress (NDC), Sammy Gyamfi has hit back at Vice President, Bawumia saying his claims that the Kwame Nkrumah interchange cost the country $260 million dollars is a barefaced lie.
According to him, the mischief which was peddled by no less a person than the Vice President of the Republic of Ghana, is shameful and reprehensible to say the least.
Speaking at NDC's Meet-The-Press series, Sammy Gyamfi said "What Dr. Bawumia did was that he added the cost of two separate and distinct projects (Kwame Nkrumah Interchange and the Ring Road Flyover) and created the impression as though that was the cost of just one project, the Kwame Nkrumah Interchange. For the records, the cost of the Kwame Nkrumah Interchange project as approved by Parliament and expended by the contractor is 74.8 million euros equivalent to $90 million at the time. This fact is contained in the Parliamentary Hansard of 16th August 2012, when the transaction was approved by the 5th Parliament of Ghana, with the full participation and approval of the then NPP minority.
He explained that two (2) years after the Kwame Interchange had been approved by Parliament and construction of the project commenced, the Mahama government on 1st October, 2014 laid before Parliament another export credit facility for the design and construction of another project, the Ring Road Flyover, at a cost $170 million.
He stressed that the transaction was approved on 2nd October, 2014 by the 6th Parliament of the Republic of Ghana.
"It is important to emphasize, that the two projects (the Kwame Nkrumah Interchange and the Ring Road Flyover) are distinct from each other and were separately approved by Parliament at different periods for different purposes. The scope of work of the two projects are totally different, and so it is disingenuous and shameful for Dr. Bawumia to lump the cost of the two projects together and create the impression that same is inflated" he said.
Sammy Gyamfi revealed that if Dr. Bawumia has any modicum of respect for Ghanaians, he should do the needful by retracting and apologizing for the lie which has further lowered his fast-sinking reputation and sullied his integrity and that of the high office he occupies.
Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith
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