$200 Million Afreximbank Loan For Ofankor–Nsawam Road Was Partial Finance- Asenso Boakye
Former Minister for Roads and Highways, Francis Asenso Boakye, has stated that the $200 million Afreximbank Loan was only a partial financial support for the $346.4 million Ofankor–Nsawam Road construction.
According to him, it was meant to balance the former government’s budgetary allocations to the project.
“The Afreximbank facility was always designed as a partial financing instrument, with the balance to be covered through the government of Ghana’s budgetary allocations,” he explained.
It follows President John Dramani Mahama’s demand for explanations regarding the premature depletion of the original loan and the subsequent payment of approximately $78 million from Ghana’s government funds during an inspection of the project on Wednesday.
He further directed a probe to ensure accountability.
In his statement, Asenso Boakye condemned the statement by the President as “political distortions”.
“For the President to suggest that the funds have been exhausted without the project being completed is simply inaccurate, unless he has been wrongly briefed. He knows very well that the Afreximbank facility did not represent the full financing requirement,” he stressed.
“This is not the time to play politics with infrastructure,” he added. “It is a time for facts, transparency, and steady progress geared towards the development of our beloved country, Ghana.”
Story by Hajara Fuseini
Click to read more: https://opemsuo.com/author/hajara-fuseini/
