Kwaku Sintim-Misa, popularly known as KSM, a veteran satirist, has tackled the leader of the United Party (UP), Alan Kyerematen, over his comments on the use of public funds to construct the Accra-Kumasi Expressway.
It will be recalled that Alan Kyerematen argued against government funding for the $4 billion Accra-Kumasi Expressway.
According to Alan Kyerematen, the project could have been handed to the private sector and tolled, reducing the burden on public finances.
Alan accepted the Mahama government’s decision to pursue the long-awaited expressway but argued that the financing model could place an unnecessary burden on the state.
He argued that the commercial potential of the expressway makes it suitable for private-sector financing, adding that investors could recover their investment through toll revenues generated from road users over an agreed period.
Speaking at a public lecture at the British Council in Accra on Wednesday, September 23, Alan Kyerematen stated, “We should commend the NDC government for thinking about the Accra-Kumasi Expressway. But I think the government should not fund the $4 billion expressway. Why should you fund a road that can be tolled? It should have been given to the private sector. $4 billion could have done a lot for Ghana.”
The United Party founder and leader argued that the government could have preserved the funds earmarked for the project and redirected them towards other areas requiring significant public investment.
However, Kwaku Sintim-Misa, on his show, responded to Alan Kyerematen, arguing that the $4 billion Accra-Kumasi Expressway project is a source of national pride because it is being funded with internally generated funds rather than borrowed money.
According to Kwaku Sintim-Misa, Ghana should be able to use its own resources to develop major infrastructure instead of relying on foreign investors or loans.
KSM argued, “Do you know the sense of national pride that we have as a nation that, for one time, we are constructing something useful to our nation, and for once we are not going to borrow anybody’s money for that? Do you know the amount of pride it gives us as a nation? Do you know the amount of respect we carry as a nation to build such a major infrastructure with internally generated funds? Don’t ignore it”.
He further quizzed why foreign investors could not be encouraged to invest in other areas such as hospitals and schools.
KSM stated, “If the foreign investors are there that you can use to build hospitals and schools, why don’t you get the foreign investors to go and build the hospitals and schools so that the money we have, we want to use it to build our own infrastructure?”
“Maybe you’re an economist, and I am not, so maybe I don’t understand the logic, but I’m saying this: there’s nothing wrong in a country that is developing and starting to rely on its own wealth, on its own locally or internally generated income to build its own resources. There’s nothing wrong with that, and so for me, Honourable Alan, I beg to differ,” KSM said.
Meanwhile, President John Dramani Mahama has announced that $2 billion has been set aside to finance the construction of the Accra-Kumasi Expressway.
Mahama assured Ghanaians that funding will not be a challenge once work begins.
According to John Mahama, the money, which is taxpayers’ funds, has been placed in a special account at the Bank of Ghana to ensure prompt payment to the contractor throughout the project.
President Mahama also disclosed that all certificates presented by the contractor will be paid promptly to prevent construction delays.
Mahama also directed the Minister for Roads and Highways to incorporate the Ghana Armed Forces Engineers Regiment as a major subcontractor to the main contractor for the expressway.
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