Ghana has recorded 66 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 bringing the total number of cases to 6,683
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has reiterated his assurance to complete all abandoned road projects under his government.
According to him, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has not invested much into road projects during their government. “Government is committed to completing all road projects.” He said.
According to the President, former president John Dramani Mahama”s infrastructural development project was a fantasy and only exist in the NDC’s Green Book.
President Akufo-Addo commissioned Tema Interchange Project
The President made this known during the commissioning of phase one of the Tema Interchange Project funded by the Japanese government on Friday, 5th June, 2020.
Speaking at the ceremony to officially launch the $56 million Tema Interchange Project, the president has again assured Ghanaians that, his government will soon complete the construction of $256 million Ashaiman roundabout to Akosombo road projects among many.
President Akufo-Addo commissioned Tema Interchange Project
The president has noted that, safety on roads is key to economic growth, hence, indiscipline on the road must immediately stop. According to him, better roads should be a catalyst for national development.
President Akufo-Addo has disclosed that, the project “started and finished within the contractual period of twenty-eight (28) months, i.e. February 2018 to June 2020, it created thousands of direct and indirect jobs for many able-bodied young men and women and businesses in the catchment area”
President Akufo-Addo commissioned Tema Interchange Project
“For many, many years, residents living in and around the Tema Metropolis, and motorists plying this route, have had to endure the inconvenience of unbearable traffic and a poor road network when traversing the then rotary intersection. Today, we are witnessing an end to this unacceptable situation with the commissioning of the newly-constructed Tema Interchange, which is part of the Ghana International Corridors Project.” He explained.
President of Policy think tank IMANI Africa, Franklin Cudjoe has expressed surprise about a seeming ‘brawl’ between the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) over ownership of the recently commissioned Tema Motorway Interchange project.
Whilst the NDC maintains the project was kick-started by the NDC’s John Mahama in 2013, and so should be considered one of his legacies, the NPP believes the project was only a “fantasy, existing in the Green Book and not on the ground”.
For them, the project would not have been completed and commissioned but for the intervention of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, who facilitated grant agreements with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to provide monetary aid for the project.
Mr. Cudjoe, who is fascinated by the arguments by both camps took to his social media page to express his views.
First, he questioned the rationale behind the back and forth seeing that the monies used in the construction of the project was not even locally generated, but from aids from Japanese counterparts.
Then sought to clarify if this stance indeed is reflective of the “Ghana Beyond Aid” agenda that has been widely preached over the years.
“Tema interchange: Why is there a struggle over political ownership of a road financed by a grant from the Japanese? Is this What Ghana Beyond Aid Means?” he quizzed.
Meanwhile, Phase One of the Tema Interchange Project has been commissioned. The Project which was commissioned by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Friday, June 5, 2020, comprises of a two-tier intersection, a tunnel in the East-West direction, four kilometers of improved roads, four pedestrian bridges, and the presence of several drainage structures. The project was financed by a grant secured from the Japanese government in March 2017, to the tune of $56 million.
Franklin CUDJOE@lordcudjoe
Tema interchange: why is there a struggle over political ownership of a road financed by a grant from the Japanese? Is this what Ghana Beyond Aid means?
In 2013, the Government of Ghana under the John Dramani Mahama administration requested a grant from the Government of Japan to implement the project (The Tema Motorway Interchange).
The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) then selected and dispatched a survey team which was headed by Mr. Ryohei Watanabe of CTI Engineering International Co., LTD. from March 2015 to March 2017.
According to FactCheckGhana.com, the initial survey and detailed designs were undertaken between March 2015 and December 2016 and the final report submitted to the Ministry of Roads and Highways for review and approval. This was also noted in the 2016 Budget Statement and Economic Policy of Ghana.
Although then-president John Dramani Mahama had mentioned in his 2016 State of the Nation address that “preparatory works for the redevelopment of the Accra-Tema motorway into a six-lane road with four interchanges at Adjei Kojo, Abattoir, Teshie Link, and Tema Roundabout will commence soon,” the project did not start until February 2018.
In 2017, the Government of Ghana signed grant agreements with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to provide aid of up to a total of 6,459 million yen for two programmes in Ghana of which the Tema Motorway roundabout was included.
In December 2017, the Government of Ghana, the Ministry of Roads and Highways, and Shimizu-Dai Nippon JV signed a contract for the execution of the project. In February 2018, the vice president of Ghana, H.E Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia cut the sod for the commencement of the project.
Kennedy Agyapong on various platforms have disclosed that his children are his pride and for that matter he makes sure he gives them the best of education and opportunities in life.
He has 22 children now among which 7 daughters are well known in Ghana here.
Amanda Agyapong happens to be one of these girls and she is pretty as much as she is brilliant.
She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania, class of 2019.
Amanda is Just 22 years old and she works as Marketing Solutions Account Strategist at Google’s Ann Arbor office in Michigan.
Amanda is among the many successful daughters of Kennedy Agyapong with some been Doctors, lawyers and bankers.
Kennedy has made sure most of his children gets the best in life and claims he spends over hundred thousand dollars on fees alone on 7 of his kids who are girls.
Ghana officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located along the Gulf of Guinea and Atlantic Ocean, in the subregion of West Africa. Spanning a land mass of 238,535 km2 (92,099 sq mi), Ghana is bordered by the Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, Togo in the east, and the Gulf of Guinea and Atlantic Ocean in the south. Ghana means “Warrior King” in the Soninke language.
Ghana is Africa’s second-biggest gold producer (after South Africa) and second-largest cocoa producer. It is also rich in diamonds, manganese ore, bauxite, and oil.
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Ghana’s population in 2010 was 24,200,000 and the 2020 population census is estimated at 31,072,940.
Ghana is a country blessed with natural and human resources. A country that is suppose to be developed is still crawling to stand the test of time.
One important ingredient that spice a country is Peace and Ghana if not the best in Africa, is among the first three(3).
But unfortunately Ghana is at war with development all because of the following people.
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1.THE POLITICIAN
Unfortunately the politics that built countries we are copying from has been given a different meaning by our politicians.
The politician retards development in his /her area and few months to elections start a project and finish all just to win power again.
The politician uses the power given him/her to enslave the electorate. Imagine if our politicians could fulfill 60% of their campaign promises rather than travelling out the country while poverty slaps the electorate every second.
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2.THE RELIGIOUS LEADERS.
Today in Ghana we have different types of churches and leaders that are supposed to build a good morals of development in us.
But “AMA GHANA” is weeping because they have rather destroyed the country.
Pastors don’t practice what they preach but rather dupe the innocent people of their little income in the name of blessings and miracles.
This is day light robbery using the Bible as the master chef but my country Ghana is silent.
During this covid-19 pandemic we all saw how the virus exposed majority of them.
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3.THE COURT
Laws are meant to be interpreted by the judges or judiciary arm of government.
In Ghana my motherland justice is a word not a practice.
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This country has lost innocent souls without seeking for justice for them example is Major Mahama, Ahmed Hussein-Suale etc.
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Today we hypocritically celebrate the death of others in the diaspora living our very own.
Our prisons are filled with innocent people all because they can’t afford a good lawyer or pay bribe to be rescued.
Defending yourself by mouth and paper evidence in my motherland is waste of time.
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4.THE CHIEFS
As the custodians of the land, chiefs play a very important role in nation development but to what extent do they hold leaders accountable?
Politicians come to make fake promises each election year yet our Chiefs sit aloof without questioning their previous promises.
Some chiefs to some extent prevents developmental projects from coming into their Communities because they want to sell the land not give it out for free.
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6.THE GHANAIANS
We ourselves in general are the major cause of why this country is in shambles.
We have refuse to do the needful but always claim we know all.
We pay attention to where “FREE THINGS” come from and ones you endorse poverty as your friend you become a slave to it.
Imagine all fellow Ghanaians can keep the environment clean, respect laws of the land, hold people in authority accountable etc and not give off their rights to be enslaved by money.
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Ghana belongs to all of us, this pandemic have really shown us how far we have been asleep and daydreaming but it’s unfortunate even in the mist of the pandemic our conscience and eyes are tired to greed and power rather than life’s.
I encourage you to start giving Ghana a face lights up in your local area and together we can move this country forward.
Investigative Journalist and host of With All Due Respect, Mr. Kevin Taylor has dropped yet another bombshell saying President Akufo-Addo actually called the Chief Justice of Ghana, Justice Anim Yeboah for 37 munites prior to the Supreme Court case hearing between the NDC and the Electoral Commission.
Mr. Taylor said Justice Anim Yeboah was on a call with the President for which he was instructed by the President that he must outrightly rule the case in favor of the Electoral Commission as that might go a long way to give credence to NDC’s claim that he [Justice Anim] was appointed to the office of the Chief Justice solely to do the bidding of the President.
Given specifics, Mr. Taylor said that the call between the President and the Chief Justice started at 9:23pm. According to him, if the President will be arresting journalists because they are getting leaked information from the Jubilee House, then the President to be ready to know that he [Kevin Taylor] knows more that is happening at the Jubilee House behind the scene than he thinks.
“I’m given time because I listen to that call. If they say metal cuts metal, you must understand that if you think you have a defense, another before also has more defense”
Mr. Taylor said, there is no way the NDC will win the Supreme Court case against the EC unless Jesus Christ come to down to “date a lady at Anloga”
He said the case the is clear for the Supreme Court to decide even based on judicial precedence but because of the plan by the President, the Supreme Court decided to give the EC four days to come back to the Court to lie to them so they can accept the lies of the EC.
A former Deputy General Secretary of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Koku Anyidoho has registered his displeasure over his party’s strategy ahead of the 2020 general elections.
According to him, the party is only interested in tarnishing the reputation of its party members who hold contrary views rather than selling the ideals of the party.
Speaking at the commemoration of the June 4 uprising on Thursday, Koku Anyidoho revealed how bigwigs within the party fund such nefarious acts.
“Me, I’m insulted. People are paid: ‘Go and insult him, call him names.’ On the other side, they have the airtime; they propagate what they want to propagate. We have airtime and it is to cast aspersions at our own, call them names: traitors, whatever,” a ‘livid’ Koku Anyidoho said.
He, therefore, admonished the party to use the 41st Anniversary of the June 4 uprising to mark a new beginning as far as the direction of the party is concerned and called on the current leadership of the party to take charge of whatever transpires in the party since they are responsible for either the woes or gains.
The founder and Chief Executive Officer of Atta Mills Institute noted that “Well, the flame has been lit. Today, we are celebrating the anniversary. It’s up to the leadership. There’s the desire, there’s the passion but if you don’t lead and lead well, don’t blame anybody for your woes. Every team coach decides the players who will play on the team. If you are not even in the reserve, you dare not wear a jersey and go on the pitch – it’s against the rules.”
“Coaches should choose their teams and be responsible for the results of the games that they encounter,” he stressed.
Ghana lost an estimated tourism revenue of US$171 million in a space of four months – from March to June, because of the global novel coronavirus pandemic.
The revenue loss followed the closure of the country’s borders to human traffic, a measure taken by the government to prevent the importation of the virus.
Mrs Barbara Oteng Gyasi, the Minister of Tourism, Creative Arts and Culture, made this known at a media briefing to provide details of the easing of restrictions on the tourism sector, in Accra.
She put the total revenue from tourist arrivals, in the year 2019, at US$3.312 billion. In all, 1.13 million foreign tourists visited the country.
A survey conducted by the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) showed that each tourist spent not less than US$2,931 on accommodation, car rental services, food and attendance of entertainment events or concerts during the ‘Year of Return’.
She announced the allocation of US$4 million dollars towards the development of tourism sites and information, this year, alongside US$5 million for tourism enterprise support.
Mrs Oteng Gyasi said, operators in the tourism and hospitality industry, could apply for support from the GHS600 million COVID-19 Alleviation Programme, meant for micro, small and medium scale enterprises, and is disbursed by the National Business for Small Scale Industries (NBSSI).
They could also access the GHS3 billion, provided by selected commercial banks as well as the US$9 million support by the World Bank under the Ghana Tourism Project.
The Minister underlined the determination of her Ministry to do more to develop domestic tourism and urged operators and owners of hotels and motels to reduce their rates and charges to boost local patronage.
The dancehall King Shatta Wale has surprised many after he reached out to his rival Sarkodie on social media few hours ago.
It is no doubt that the two have a strong rivalry as both have admitted publicly that there is bad blood between them, not to talk about the constant shots and shades.
President Nana Akufo-Addo has described claims by the Mahama administration that it undertook unprecedented infrastructural development, including roads, as a mere fantasy that was contained in the Green Book of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
“We made a pledge to the Ghanaian people to expand and improve the road network while closing the missing links in the network. We had to make this pledge because we know that the so-called unprecedented infrastructure development of the Mahama administration was fantasy; existing in the Green Book and not on the ground,” President Akufo-Addo said when he inaugurated the $57-million Tema Motorway Interchange project that is being financed by the government of Japan through the Japanese International Cooperation Agreement (JICA).
“We know that the provision of quality road infrastructure is an important tool for the socio-economic development of our country and government will ensure the even spread of such projects across the country”, the President said, adding: “That is why we are determined to complete major road projects like the Pokuase Interchange, the Eastern Corridor Roads, the Bolgatanga-Pulimakum road, the Tamale Interchange, the Tema-Bomaa road, Obuasi town roads, the Atebubu-Kwame Danso road, the Twifo Praso-Assin Fosu road, LEKMA road, Suhum-Asamankese road …”
“The government has secured funding for them and virtually all of them are going to be completed before the end of this year”, he promised.
The President also said the completion of the Tema Motorway Interchange will bring immense economic benefits to Ghana.
“The economic benefits of this and other trunk roads being undertaken by the Ghana Highways Authority, the department of urban roads and the department of feeder roads will be immersed”.
“Government is committed to the successful completion of all projects and I urge the Ministry of Roads and Highways to see to their expeditious completion”.
“As we talk about the upgraded conditions of our highways, we, as Ghanaians, need to be mindful of our responsibilities in the use of our roads”, President Akufo-Addo said.
He noted that: “Although the necessary safeguards have been put in place, the severity and frequency of accidents on our highways due to over-speeding and indiscipline are a great reproach to all of us”.
“Motorists must be extra careful and disciplined on the highways and resist the temptation of over speeding. Better roads should be a catalyst for national development and not instruments of death and pain”.
“Let us use this superior road network responsibly and productively”, President Akufo-Addo added.
Roads Minister
The Minister for Roads and Highways, Kwasi Amoako-Attah, in his statement, charged the Ghana Highway Authority (GHA) to ensure that all the ancillary works required under the first phase of the project are undertaken for the successful take-off of the second phase.
“I urge Heads of MMDA’S within the project catchment area to ensure that indiscriminate erection of bill boards, pasting of posters on footbridges, kerbs etc., are avoided. Planting of trees should be embarked upon to protect the environment from exhaust pollution”, the Minister said.
Project Overview
The Tema Motorway Roundabout was a 5-leg roundabout where traffic from Accra and Tema Pot, Akosombo, Aflao and Tema Community 9 converge, causing heavy traffic congestion during the rush hours. The congestion at the roundabout became an impediment to smooth and sate movement of people and goods which adversely affected productivity and economic activities, especially in the environs of the Industrial City of Tema.
The increase in the volume of cargo at the port after the completion of the expansion works also contributed to the significant increase of truck traffic at the roundabout.
In compliance with the National Transport Policy of expanding and upgrading the international corridors to achieve integrated, efficient, and sustainable transport system and help achieve the objective of the transport hub of the West African sub region, the Government of Ghana (GOG) in 2013 made a request to the Government of Japan (GOJ) for a Grant Aid Assistance to implement “The Preparatory Survey for the Project for the Improvement of the Tema Motorway Roundabout”.
In March 2017, the Exchange of notes/ Grant agreement for the survey and design under the Project name “The Project for Improvement of Ghanaian International Corridors (Grade Separation of Tema Intersection in Tema) was signed.
It is expected that the opening of the roads to motorists will greatly improve the capacity of the Tema intersection as well as enhance safety and efficiency of the transport and freight. It will also provide uninterrupted traffic flow to facilitate trade and transit in the West African Sub-Region, contribute to the economic development of Tema and its environs, and minimize the negative effect on the environment from vehicle emissions.
Project Cost and Executing Companies Messrs CTI Engineering International Co. Ltd was the supervising Consultant with the works executed by Messrs Shimizu-Dai Nippon JV. The project duration was 28 calendar months, that is, from 7th February 2018 to 6th June 2020. The project cost was about 57 million United States dollars.
