Minority jabs Government over the state of the economy
Accra , April 8, GNA -The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has attributed Ghanas energy crisis to Government inability to make concrete decisions concerning the energy sector, adding that the resolution to such challenge was within the competence and control of the Volta River Authority (VRA).The party noted that VRA had not kept up its capacity expansion programme while Government had also not sufficiently resourced the VRA to procure crude oil to propel electric power generation.Speaking during a press conference organised by the Minority in Parliament on the state of the economy on Monday, Mr Kyei-Mensah Osei Bonsu, Minority Leader, noted that on monthly basis, the country had to experience fuel price increases because of the depreciating Ghana cedi and not the world price.He noted that due to the terrible state of disrepair of ECG transmission network, about 25% of electricity generated was lost, adding that ECG needed about $ 700 million investment for it to be in good shape.He added that the thermal plant at Takoradi, in particular the T3 plant had also run into technical problems arising out of contractual disagreement between the VRA and the Canadian contractors who were working on the project, he said.The party also expressed worry about the amount of money which would be spent on the rehabilitation of the Ridge Hospital in Accra.He said it was preposterous for Government to tell Ghanaians that the Hospital would be rehabilitated at $ 305million when Crown Agent who had been employed by the state to do due diligence, had advised that the facility could be built at a cost of $ 162 million.Crown Agent concluded that the proposed price of $ 305million cannot offer value for money to the tax payer of Ghana, he added.He insisted that the matter be brought back to Parliament for further interrogation and reconsideration, he said.He said since August 2013, the inflation rate had continued to rise from 11.5% to 14.0% in January 2014 which was higher than Governments own upper band target of 11.5%.Mr Osei-Kyei Mensah Bonsu appealed to Government to find appropriate means to mend the hiccups in the relationship between the members of the Ghana Medical Association.In the past, there have been frictions but previous Governments had always had a way of handling such frictions with the practitioners, he added.He said the President was the Chief Executive Officer of the country and must devise appropriate conflict resolution mechanism to deal with challenges as the posturing of its negotiators had not been the best required to deal with such challenges within the health sector.He also appealed to Government to go by its promise in 2013 to hook 220,000 HIV/AIDS persons unto the NHIS free of charge.He intimated that the fall of the cedi had resulted in overexposure of local traders who had not been able to protect their capital adding that many Ghanaian retailers had been forced to close their shops because they were operating at a loss.GNA
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