Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has revealed that the government is considering the possibility of adding the cost of the construction of the Pwalugu Multipurpose Dam to projects that are being executed with the $2-billion Sinodydro barter facility from China.
Speaking on Asempa FM’s Ekosiisen program Wednesday, 30th September, 2020, Dr Bawumia noted that the $ 993 million Pwalugu Multipurpose Dam is the single largest project to be undertaken by government in the whole of the Northern part of the country and the NPP government is determined to complete the project for the use of the people.
While commenting on the construction of the Tamale interchange, Dr. Bawumia said “We are looking at all that together; the barter arrangement was about $2 billion. So the first phase of sinohydro, we are using about $647 million of that $2 billion. So we have been discussing whether we should look at Pwalugu(dam) as one of the beneficiaries of this in terms of realigning it. But it is a discussion that is ongoing,” he said.
Sod was cut for the Pwalugu Multipurpose Dam in November 2019 but work is yet to begin even though Contractors for the project have pitched camp in the area, created access to the site of the project and have cleared the site.
Though cabinet has reportedly approved $700 million for the project, Dreamzfmonline.com sources at the construction company indicate that actual construction of the dam will only begin when funds are released to them. This comes nearly a year after President Nana Akufo-Addo cut sod for the project to begin.
President Nana Akufo Addo at the sod cutting ceremony for the project had announced that the entire cost of the project will be borne by the government of Ghana.
But Dr. Bawumia explained that discussions are ongoing for a part of the $2 billion sinohydro facility to be used to fund the project.
According to him, the Pwalugu dam project is the signature project of the New Patriotic Party administration in the north of Ghana since independence.
Dr Bawumia explained that the delay in the start of the project is due to recent floods in the North caused by heavy torrential rains and the spillage of the Bagre Dam.
He assured that the project will begin as soon as the water recede enough and the engineers deem it right to begin the project.
The Vice President took advantage of the discussion to slam the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for failing to do anything significant in the north for all the eight years it was in power before the NPP took over the reins of government.
