Outgoing Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Ahmed Ibrahim, has urged his successor, Mahama Ayariga, to ensure that projects under the government’s 24-Hour Economy initiative are not abandoned like some E-Block and Agenda 111 projects.
Mr Ahmed Ibrahim, who has been reassigned to the Ministry of Works, Housing and Resources, made the call during a handing-over ceremony.
He cautioned that Ghana cannot continue to invest huge sums of public funds in development projects only for them to be abandoned by successive administrations.
According to him, the incoming minister must ensure that ongoing projects under the 24-Hour Economy initiative, particularly the construction of 24-hour markets, are properly implemented and completed to ensure value for money.
“What happened to E-Blocks and Agenda 111 should not happen to 24-hour market projects,” he cautioned.
Mr Ahmed Ibrahim also urged Mr Ayariga to pay close attention to key issues he had been handling at the ministry, including chieftaincy matters, contracts and other ongoing initiatives.
He expressed confidence that his successor would build on the work already undertaken and ensure continuity in the ministry’s programmes and projects.
E-Block programme involved the construction of community day senior high schools across Ghana, but many of the projects were left incomplete after work stalled, largely amid funding and contractual challenges.
Similarly, Agenda 111 was a government programme launched to construct healthcare facilities across Ghana’s districts, including hospitals in districts that did not have hospitals.
The project was intended to expand access to healthcare infrastructure, but many of the projects stalled or remained incomplete, with funding and implementation challenges becoming major concerns.
