DRIP contract was inflated by over $100m – Ablakwa

The Minister-designate for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has called on President John Dramani Mahama to revisit and renegotiate the terms of the District Road Improvement Programme (DRIP) initiative.

Ablakwa raised concerns during his vetting by Parliament’s Appointments Committee on Friday, January 31, stating that the project, launched in August 2024, was inflated by more than $100 million.

The DRIP initiative was introduced as a key infrastructure programme aimed at enhancing road maintenance and construction across all districts.

It also sought to bolster the capacity of Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs) by equipping them with state-of-the-art machinery and providing essential technical training to local authorities.

Despite these noble objectives, Ablakwa argued that the financial execution of the project has been riddled with inefficiencies, potentially costing Ghana much-needed resources.

Ablakwa disclosed that only 25 percent of the total project cost has been paid, leaving substantial room for renegotiation.

He emphasised the urgent need for President Mahama’s government to act decisively in addressing this issue to safeguard public funds.

“Fortunately, only 25 percent has been paid and not all the liabilities have been met so I have encouraged the new Mahama administration to renegotiate the DRIP initiative so that we can save money because my conservative estimate is that it has been inflated by more than $100 million.

“And there is the need to save money because $100 million can do so much for an IMF-bailout country.”

The Foreign Affairs Minister-Designate further elaborated on the potential impact of recovering the inflated funds.

He highlighted how such an amount could be redirected to other critical sectors such as education, healthcare, and social intervention programs, all of which are in dire need of investment amidst Ghana’s ongoing economic challenges.

The DRIP initiative envisioned as a transformative infrastructure programme, was originally designed to decentralise road maintenance efforts, empower local authorities, and create jobs in the process.