Ablakwa is particularly happy that the Minister did so despite comments he described as 'bigoted and incendiary' by a fellow Minister that he would lead a protest if the project is retroactively catered for.
The North Tongu MP noted that the inclusion will undoubtedly be "Welcome news to over 4,000 displaced Ghanaians."
His December 7, 2021 post on social media read: "I commend Hon. Ken Ofori-Atta for ignoring the bigoted and incendiary threats from a cabinet colleague and going ahead to make an allocation for preparatory works on Phase 2 of the Blekusu Coastal Protection Project.
"Welcome news to the over 4,000 displaced Ghanaians. One Ghana."
What Napo said
The cabinet Minister Ablakwa refers to in his post is Energy Minister Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, who in an interview last week on Accra-based Asempa FM vowed to lead a protest in his native Kumasi if the Keta sea defence project is catered for.
The Minister, who is also Manhyia South MP said: “Kumasi has been flooded four times but I didn’t see Kumasi in the budget. If the Finance Minister includes the Keta sea defence Project in the budget, I will vote for zero percent (E-levy).
“Budget is a national business document that cannot solve all our problems in a day. Between 1998 and 2000, NDC went for money for sea defence at Keta, they chopped the money. They used the money for something else. When NDC was in power, Keta was still experiencing tidal waves. They went for a loan in the name of that project but they didn’t do it. President Kufuor had to contract another loan for it but they still voted against him.
“Eight years of NDC (2008-2016) I didn’t see Keta sea defence Project anywhere so if you go to opposition and you ask me to include it in the budget when Kumasi flooding is also not in the budget, we’ll protest. If the Finance Minister makes a mistake and adds it to the budget, I will lead Kumasi residents on a demonstration.”
What Ofori-Atta said about sea defence project
In an amendment to the 2022 budget by the Finance Minister, he noted that the sea defence project was one of four concessions that the government had agreed to make to the budget.
He said of the issue at a press conference on Monday, December 5, 2021: "In respect of the unfortunate tidal waves which rendered about 3,000 people homeless in Keta, we shall make the necessary budgetary allocations of at least GHC10 million to complete the Feasibility and Engineering studies for the coastal communities adversely affected.
"We will broaden the scope of the study to consider a more comprehensive solution to protect Ghana’s 540 Km of coastline, including the 149 Km between Aflao and Prampram. Meanwhile, NADMO has responded to the humanitarian crisis created by the tidal waves on the Keta coastline." Read Full Story
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