Over the years, there has been deep-seated concern among Ghanaians, expressed through sustained debate, regarding the abandonment of projects initiated by various governments and left incomplete by successor governments.
Party A puts forth its manifesto during an election and, after winning, begins a project outlined in the manifesto. However, they may be unable to complete it during their tenure. Party B, upon assuming office, abandons Party A’s project, either because it does not align with its own priorities or manifesto commitments, or due to budget constraints. There is also the lesser motive of avoiding the completion of a project identified with another political party, as it may not allow the new government to claim political credit.
The country is dotted with such abandoned projects. These constitute sunken funds or deadweight capital that yield no obvious benefits to Ghana in their current state. There is an urgent need to halt this cycle.
While I do not claim to have all the answers, I hope to offer a few ideas for consideration.
Firstly, we should create a National Abandoned Assets List, established by law. Every District and Metropolitan Assembly must identify government assets within its jurisdiction, from electricity cables and poles to earth-moving equipment like graders and bulldozers. These should be compiled into a profile, detailing the intended purpose(s) of each asset, under the supervision of the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development.
The final repository of all such lists should be the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC). The NDPC should assess each asset’s structural integrity, relevance, or obsolescence. Additionally, a determination should be made regarding whether the asset can be used to meet its original objective or redirected to serve other purposes. These assets could also serve as a material supply depot for completing other ongoing projects.
The second step is to enact a National Law on Projects and Programmes. A political party wishing to have a project added to the National Projects and Programmes List from its manifesto must submit it to the NDPC along with:
- A statement of the project or programme’s objectives
- An economic and financial feasibility study proving its viability
- A social cost-benefit analysis
- Identification of potential stakeholders and beneficiaries
The NDPC will conduct an independent analysis alongside the party’s submission and recommend any necessary legal or regulatory changes to support the project from its initiation to its completion.
Once vetted, the NDPC will forward the project documents to the Parliament of Ghana for consideration. The document must receive a two-thirds majority approval from Parliament to be admitted to the National Projects and Programmes List. By so approving, Parliament mandates that the necessary budgetary allocations be provided by the Minister of Finance in each annual budget, based on the project’s agreed timeframe. (Any project that can be completed within the four-year electoral cycle shall not be admitted to the list.)
A Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Committee under the NDPC will monitor quarterly progress on the project and submit reports to Parliament.
These are my thoughts. Let us bring together ideas from various sources to see how far we can go in addressing this issue.
