Hon Joe Ghartey, a former Attorney General and Minister of Justice, and Potential Presidential contender for the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has categorically denied media claims that he blamed the NPP Government for the Accra Sky Train Project’s poor execution.
After Hon. Ghartey’s appearance on Citi FM’s Eyewitness News with Umaru Sanda Amadu, there were untrue media stories claiming that he had blamed the NPP for the failure of the Accra Sky Train Project.
In a statement responding to the misled publications, the seasoned politician who served as the Minister of Railways Development said, “there is nothing further from the truth. I stated that it was Build Operate and Transfer and the investors were the ones funding the project not government.”
READ THE FULL STATEMENT BELOW:
My attention has been drawn to various headlines concerning the Sky Train in my interview on Citi FM, Eyewitness News, on January 17th 2023. It is alleged that I said that the said project was not realized because of budgetary constraints. One headline states that I said “ That it was not constructed because of lack of funds”. Another stated that I blamed NPP for the project not being done.
There is nothing further from the truth. I stated that it was Build Operate and Transfer and the investors were the ones funding the project not government.
Furthermore, I stated that after the agreement was signed in November 2019, the investors were to bring a team from South Africa in 2020 to complete all the engineering designs, which would have determined the exact cost of the project. This. I said would enable us determine the term of the concession agreement.
I said further that even after the agreement had been signed. there were a number of Conditions Precedents that had to fulfilled before the agreement became effective. For example, it needed Parliamentary Approval, approval from the Public Procurement Authority, approval from Cabinet, approval from the Ministry of Finance and other approvals such as a Value for Money Audit.
All this was premised on the investors coming back to conduct a full detailed study and costing. The agreement was signed in 2019, November and early 2020 due to COVID both Ghana, the destination of the investment and South Africa ,where the experts to conduct the detailed study were coming from, were locked down.
I never blamed government or said the project was not executed because of lack of government funding. It was never to be funded by government, in any event. I have attached a copy of a recording of the interview.
Joe Ghartey — January 18th 2023
Source: InsightNewsgh.Com
