Finance Minister Denies Allegations That DRIP Equipment Was Funded by MPs’ Common Fund Share
The Finance Minister and Member of Parliament for the Karaga Constituency, Dr. Mohammed Amin Adam, has strongly refuted claims that the equipment for the District Road Improvement Program (DRIP) was procured using Members of Parliament’s (MPs) share of the District Assemblies Common Fund. He emphasized that the DRIP is a Government of Ghana (GoG) initiative under the leadership of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, and has no connection to the MPs’ common fund allocations.
Speaking at the northern regional launch of the DRIP project, Dr. Amin Adam described the claims as “falsehoods” spread by some parliamentary candidates. “I have heard some Parliamentary candidates say that their share of the common fund, MP’s share of the common fund, was put together under the instructions of the MPs, and the government used that money to procure these pieces of equipment. This cannot be true, this cannot be the fact,” he stressed.
Dr. Amin Adam explained that in 2024, the government allocated GHS 5.7 billion to the District Assemblies Common Fund, with only 5% of this amount, approximately GHS 285 million, earmarked for MPs. He questioned the plausibility of using this relatively small sum to procure equipment costing billions of cedis. “How can GHS 285 million procure equipment that costs billions of cedis?” he queried.
The Finance Minister also clarified that the MPs’ share of the common fund is being released directly to them, making it unlikely that these funds could have been diverted for equipment procurement. He disclosed that the DRIP project is being financed through Treasury bills issued to contractors, who then raise funds from banks. “We issued what we call Treasury bills to the contractor to raise the funding from the banks, and in due time, the government will honor the bills when they mature. So how can it be true that the government collected money meant for MPs to procure these pieces of equipment?” he reiterated.
Dr. Amin Adam urged the public to reject these unfounded allegations and give credit to the government’s efforts in improving road infrastructure nationwide.
The DRIP initiative is designed to empower Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs) with the necessary resources and equipment to rehabilitate and maintain roads within their areas. The project has seen the procurement of 2,240 pieces of equipment, including motor graders, backhoes, rollers, wheel loaders, bulldozers, tipper trucks, concrete mixers, water tankers, and low beds. These machines are expected to play a crucial role in enhancing road infrastructure across the country.
Source: Zaaradio.comm/Sulemana Alhassan Tarimbia
