Non-commissioning of the artesian well in Broto, in the Damango Constituency

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Non-commissioning of the artesian well in Broto, in the Damango Constituency

Good afternoon to you all. And good afternoon particularly to the media men and women. I wish to thank you for responding to this call at a very short notice.

It is very important to set the stage for political participation in the form of engagements such as these. We would have treated the press conference addressed by the Constituency secretary of the NPP in the Damongo Constituency, but given the slippery nature of the political grounds in Damongo which allows for falsehood to fester over truth, it is therefore necessary to come forward with this response.

Ladies and Gentlemen, the attention of the Managing Director and for that matter Ghana Water Limited has been drawn to some juindiced press statement, issued and presented by a select few of failed NPP Constituency Executives, in respect of the above subject matter. I wish to respond as follows:

OUTRIGHT LIES:

It is a palpable lie that the MD for Ghana Water Limited, Hon. Adam Mutawakilu Garlus, has deliberately refused to commission the Artesian Well constructed in Broto to supply water to ONLY 16% of the population of Damongo and its environs.
It is equally not true that the project is being funded with a loan facility of GHC 17, 074,113.58 from the EXIM BANK of Ghana. Ladies and Gentlemen, let me state without shred of doubt that the project under review is being funded fully by the Ghana Water Limited.
It is a profound lie also, that Hon. Abu Jinapor, the MP for Damongo worked tirelessly to secure the project for the Constituency. If any pound of credit is to be given, it is for Dr. Clifford Braimah and not Hon. Abu Jinapor.
Ladies and Gentleman, be notified that as of today the project stands incomplete and therefore cannot be true a statement that it was completed in December, 2024 and ready for commissioning.

THE FACTS:

In view of the perennial water challenges in Damongo, and due to the deliberate neglect by the Government of Nana Akuffo-Addo and Abu Jinapor to provide a provide a standard, comprehensive water project for the people of Damongo as promised in July 2020, the Ghana Water Limited under the leadership of Dr. Clifford Braimah, decided to abstract and treat an Artesian Well at Broto, and to transport it through Yipala into an existing High Level Tank in Damongo. So, let the record be placed in proper context once again that, the project was solely the initiative of Ghana Water Limited and not that of the failed MP, Hon Abu Jinapor.
It is the case that on the 13th of December, 2021, the Engineers of Ghana Water Limited, both from Northern Region and the Head Office, had a meeting with Danank Engineering Company Limited (the contractor), where it was agreed by GWL of its readiness and willingness to undertake this project. In essence, let it be placed on record that Hon. Abu Jinapor knows nothing close to the source of funding and not even a dime of his accumulated Common Fund has been used in executing the project.
Indeed, the population of Damongo at the time of project design stood at 41,180 with a projected demand of 2,059 m3/ per day. Meanwhile the Artesian Well had a projected yield of 324 m3/per day. Mathematically, this can only serve about 16% of the actual demand of water given the population aforementioned. This was meant to be an immediate and sustainable supplemental intervention of water to Damongo Commmunity and not a major project meant to solve the perennial water challenges.
The project as of today, remains less than 80% complete, and so the claim that it has been completed and ready for commissioning is a deliberate lie and a figment of the imagination for the claimants.
Indeed, as at the end of December, 2024, Ghana Water Limited paid ONLY GHC 4M out of the about GHC 17M. Let it be placed on record that the current MD, Hon Adam Mutawakilu, since assuming office has approved a payment of GHC 6.2M which is yet to mature. So, between the current MD and the failed MP, Abu Jinapor, who is desperately making claims to the project without contributing a dime from his accumulated Common Fund and other statutory payments, who should be given credit?
It is equally important to state unequivocally that, the MD for GWL has instructed the consultant and the contractor to increase the capacity in order to increase the daily yield of the Artesian Well. In view of this, the consultant did the analysis and rather suggested additional two ground boreholes to be rather constructed in Soalepe to support the Broto Well. Take note that this is not coming to dispense with the major water project that H.E John Dramani Mahama and the MD for GWL, Hon. Adam Mutawakilu are planning to execute for Damongo to solve the problem once and for all.

OTHER ISSUES:

I want to begin with a rhetorical question. If indeed the project was completed in December, 2024, how come the desperate Hon. Abu Jinapor refused to commission it as it was bandit about that the project was his initiative? Instead, he elected to rather commission a market which was not complete.
If indeed the said project was funded by Abu Jinapor and that it was his baby, how come that the NPP failed executives are now putting the blame on Hon Adam Mutawakilu for non-commissioning of the project? I thought Hon Abu Jinapor is still the MP for the constituency and that where he executes his project, he’s free and under a sincere obligation to commission same without any fetters. So, we urge Hon Abu Jinapor and his assigns to come again. Is the project being funded and executed by Abu Jinapor or Ghana Water Limited?
We want to state that the Government of H.E John Dramani Mahama and the Ghana Water Limited, led by the competent Hon. Adam Mutawakilu, are committed at delivering a one-stop, state of the art water project for the Damongo Constituency and Gonjaland at large. The Artesian Well in Broto cannot serve beyond 16%, and the intention of the government is to get a 100% coverage in terms of the supply. Let me be quick to announce that, various funding proposals are being evaluated to get the best and value for money funding arrangements for this project. By the end of this year, “Insha Allah”, there will be good news for the people of Damongo and its environs.
The people of Damongo and for that matter Gonjaland cannot wait for the government of H.E John Dramani Mahama to get this burden off their shoulders once and for all. H.E John Mahama and Hon Garlus won’t forsake the Yagbonwura, not the Damonwura, the Busunuwura, the Imam and people of Laribanga and the entirety of the people Damongo and its environs. Portable drinking water will surely flow in Damongo before the 4-year tenure of H.E John Dramani Mahama expires.
Let me sound this caution to the failed NPP constituency executives, led by the constituency Secretary, Mr Abdul-Rahman Kadri, that we will no longer countenance any such attempt to turn Hon Adam Mutawakilu into an innocent punching bag. They should admit that they have failed to deliver the Damongo Water Project, the sod-cutting of which was done on 29th July, 2020. Any attempt to redeem the corrosive image of Hon. Abu Jinapor and President Akuffo-Addo will fail on arrival.
Also, to Mr Rahman and his select few—be informed that you cannot use Hon Adam Mutawakilu as a stepping board for a re-election in the upcoming constituency election of the NPP. You people need to go all out to justify why you should be re-elected by accounting for your stewardship. You need to explain to the people how you expended that huge sums of money in the constituency and still went home with that abysmal performance. But for the scheming and stealing, Hon Abu Jinapor would have been an Ex-MP as of now.
Ladies and gentlemen of the Media, it is not easy to tell a bold lie. Imagine my good friend and brother, Abdul-Rahman, a whole constituency secretary of the NPP, a graduate for that matter and once an SRC President of no less an institution but the University of Education, trying to find his lines and words together even when he was reading from a prepared script. To discover a lie from the lips of a lier, just check his lips and see if they move in tandem with his mind. Indeed, when in doubt, check his body language. To Mr Rahman and his select-few, you lied on the following:
The project is funded by GWL and not a loan facility from EXIM BANK.
Hon Abu Jinapor knows nothing close to the planning and execution of the project—this project is a sole baby of GWL and for that matter Dr. Clifford Braimah.
As of December, 2024, the project was incomplete and even as of now, it is less than 80% complete.
The current MD for Ghana Water Limited is committed at completing the project hence, his authorization of subsequent payments to the contractor which is yet to mature. Be so informed.
Thank you.