Finance Minister, Seth Terkper, is expected to be in Parliament in the next few days to brief members on the status of a US$663,299.496 facility the country secured from the Export Import Bank of the United States of America and Standard Chartered Bank in 2012.
The money was meant for the construction of the Accra Sanitary Sewer and Storm Water Drainage Alleviation project, popularly referred to as Conti Project.
The Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, Dr. Kweku Agyemang Mensah, is also expected to appear alongside the Finance Minister to brief the House on the same subject.
Their coming to the legislature was necessitated by an application tabled by the Deputy Minority Leader, Dominic Nitiwul, Friday.
The honourable Member of Parliament for Bimbilla had prayed to the Speaker for the House to extend an invitation to the two over the said money in the wake of last Wednesday’s floods and fire disaster that hit the capital city and claimed over hundred lives.
“Mr. Speaker, when we went to the site of the disaster, the reaction of the people was very different. They want us to move forward. There was a loan agreement … two credit agreements between the Republic of Ghana and Export Import Bank of America and Standard Chartered Bank for a total amount of US$663,299.496 … between the Minister for Water Resources, Works and Housing and the Finance Minister on October 25, 2012 for the construction of the Accra Sanitary Sewer and Storm Water Drainage Alleviation Project.”
He added “Mr. Speaker, we have to find out from them what has happened to the funds.”
His call was supported by the Majority Leader, Alban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin who argued that the nation could not sit down and continue to grief over the death of its ‘sons and daughters’ in situations that could have prevented.
“It cannot be business as usual. We have to take it very serious. We have to go beyond that and get the committees to work and get approvals so that we can put in place a clear program to bring this to an end.”
He told the House that the Business Committee would schedule the two ministers in their next program which would be presented to the House on June 12, 2015.
The First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Ebo Barton-Odro who presided over the sitting granted the application.
Below is a Wednesday January 16, 2013 report by the US Embassy in Accra which gives a background on when the partnership agreement was sealed
Ground Breaking Ceremony for the Commencement of Work on the Accra Sanitary Sewer and Storm Water Drainage Alleviation Project in Accra
We have a saying in the United States, “Necessity breeds invention.” The tragic loss of life in the 2011 floods served as a catalyst for the late President Mills and Mayor Vanderpuije to implement a determined strategy to address Accra’s perennial flooding challenge.
The United States is proud to have played a role in Ghana’s efforts to address one of Accra’s greatest challenges.
After Mayor Vanderpuije approached the U.S. Ambassador to brainstorm solutions to solve the drainage problem once and for all, we realized that this presented an opportunity to also improve the health and sanitation infrastructure of the city.
The U.S. Embassy solicited input from American companies with expertise in urban works and construction and facilitated the Mayor’s trip to the U.S. to meet with American companies and the U.S. Export-Import Bank.
After identifying the Conti Group as the main project sponsor and securing the cooperation of the U.S. Export-Import Bank, the late President John Evans Atta Mills signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the project during his March 2012 visit to the U.S.
The $596 million financial commitment became the U.S. Ex-Im Bank’s largest infrastructure project in Ghana’s history when it was approved by Parliament this past November.
Based in New Jersey and founded in 1906, Conti has been at the forefront of innovation in the Energy, Environmental, Industrial and Infrastructure markets for public and private customers. Conti Ghana Infrastructure Limited, a division of Conti International, has been established in Accra, Ghana for one year with offices in Labone, and is the prime contractor for this project.
The Conti Group has specialty experience with storm drainage and flood protection. After Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans, Conti played an important role in the Hurricane and Storm Damage Risk Reduction Program by designing and constructing flood protection systems, levees, and large scale flood gates.
Some of you might recall Hurricane Sandy which pounded the East Coast just one week before the U.S. elections. I don’t think you will be surprised to learn that one of the companies at the forefront of rebuilding Staten Island, NY was Conti.
Conti brings its construction experience to deliver this high profile project as a major milestone in the improvement of infrastructure within Ghana as a whole.
The U.S. Embassy is committed to partner with the American and Ghanaian private sector, civil society, and governments to support infrastructure projects that will improve the lives of millions of Ghanaians.
The Accra Sanitary Sewer and Storm Water Drainage Alleviation Project will modernize Accra, stimulate the economy of this increasingly vibrant capital, and improve waste water treatment for millions of residents.
We are proud of the work done by the Conti Group and its local partners, and thank the Ministry of Finance, the Mayor of Accra, the Ministry of Local Government, and the Ministry of Water, Works and Housing for their support and collaboration. It was this collaboration that made this partnership possible.
The Accra drainage and sewage project is a testament to the strong relationship between the U.S. and Ghana. In 2011, Ghana was one of only four countries in the world selected by President Obama as a “Partnership for Growth” country.
President Obama refers to Ghana as “a good news story.” The robust economic and commercial activity in Ghana underscores Ghana’s leadership and capacity to serve as a role model in Sub-Saharan Africa for good governance, stability and economic growth. This reputation was highlighted most recently when the New York Times listed Accra as the number 4 city in the world to visit in 2013.
Partnerships such as the one forged by the Conti Group, Zoomlion, and WaterTech exemplify Ghana as a place that’s open for business. The U.S. Embassy looks forward to working with all of you to advance our important bilateral economic and commercial partnership for the benefit of the people of both our countries.
By: Kasapafmonline.com/Ghana
