By Yussif Ibrahim
Kumasi, Aug. 25, GNA – Dr. Frank Amoakohene, Ashanti Regional Minister, has called for continuity in governance, saying Ghana’s development must not restart after every change of government.
He said successive governments must develop the culture of completing and sustaining projects inherited from previous administrations, regardless of the political party that initiated them.
Dr. Amoakohene made the call at the commissioning of the newly completed Ashanti Regional Office of the Minerals Commission in Kumasi.
He said one of the major challenges to national development was not necessarily the absence of good ideas or infrastructure, but the inability to sustain successful projects and institutions beyond political and administrative transitions.
“The development of Ghana cannot begin all over again after every four years or after every eight years,” he said.
The Regional Minister said a government should not abandon a hospital, school, road, market, office, or any other public facility simply because it was initiated by a previous administration.
He said the continuity of development projects was central to building strong public institutions and ensuring value for money in public investments.
Dr. Amoakohene commended President John Dramani Mahama for what he described as his strong commitment to completing legacy projects across the country.
He said the President had directed that 20 per cent of funds received under the Common Fund be reserved for the completion of abandoned or inherited projects in rural districts.
The initiative, he said, would cover legacy projects initiated by successive governments, from the administration of Ghana’s first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, through subsequent administrations.
Dr. Amoakohene also commended the leadership of the Minerals Commission and the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources for taking responsibility for the completion of the regional office.
He said instead of abandoning the project because of funding challenges, the Ministry and the Commission worked to mobilise the necessary resources to bring it to completion.
“This is what continuity in governance is about.
We must take responsibility and ensure that projects that are beneficial to the people are completed,” he said.
The Regional Minister said the commissioning of the facility was therefore not merely about opening a new office but represented a commitment to strengthening public institutions, improving efficiency and professionalism, and bringing public services closer to the people.
He said the facility would also contribute to deepening decentralisation and improving the management of Ghana’s mineral resources.
Dr. Amoakohene urged the authorities to prioritise maintenance to ensure that the facility remained in good condition for years to come.
He said public infrastructure belonged to the state and the people and therefore required collective responsibility to protect and maintain it.
The Regional Minister further said his office, located close to the new Minerals Commission facility, would monitor its maintenance, and encouraged the Commission to sustain the standards established by the new infrastructure.
GNA
Edited by Kwabia Owusu-Mensah/Linda Asante Agyei
Reporter: Yussif Ibrahim