I was expecting Bawumia to speak about the concrete roads – Ashiamah

Former Member of Parliament for the Buem Constituency, Mr Daniel Kwesi Ashiamah has said he was expecting the Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia to among other things update Ghanaians on progress of government decision to constructs concrete roads instead of asphalt during Thursday’s economic lecture.

He also noted he was expecting to him to speak on the controversial electronic transaction levy and whether the Vice President is in agreement with it passage or still stands by his earlier view that mobile money transactions should not be taxed.

Mr.  Ashiamah made the remarks on Weekly Press Review on GTV on Friday, April 8, monitored by GhanaPlus.com.

According to him, his expectations were not met adding that everything said by the Vice President had already been said by the Finance Minister, Mr Ken Ofori Atta and also the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

“….What I was expecting to hear I did not hear from him because if you listen to him critically, all that he said the Finance Minister has said it before, all that he said the President himself has said some it before so in my estimation I was expecting him to come and give us the update of all their flagship projects, all that he said in 2016. All that he campaigned about in 2020,” Mr Ashiamah said.

“I was expecting him to give us some of the update like he mentioned that when they come they are not going to build asphalt roads, they will build concrete roads so I was expecting him to come and tell us how far we have gone with the concrete roads. He told us that there is no need to tax momo so I was expecting him to come and tell us that oh we have not taxed momo or because of this thing that I supported or disagreed with taxing of the momo, that I did not hear,” he added.

Gov’t to construct move from asphalt to concrete roads –  Dr Bawumia

The Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia is reported in 2017 to have hinted government has decided to construct concrete roads instead of asphalt.

Report said he made the announcement at a ceremony to dedicate a new temple for the Harvest International Ministries in response to a proposal made by the Charismatic Bishops Conference, led by the Presiding Bishop of Light House Chapel International (LCI) Bishop Dag Heward-Mills to among other things consider the construction of concrete roads in the country.

“Some months ago I heard that Bishop Dag Heward Mills talked about building and he made similar comment here yet just this two roads to Accra Kumasi we haven’t been able to build. He made a every every insightful comment about why is it that we are not building our roads with concrete and rather doing all this asphalt bitumen stuff which the roads just get washed away in two seasons. You look at Tema Motor way which was built it concrete and is lasting almost 50years and so that sort of got me thinking and we started that discussions, is a simply idea but is full of wisdom. I checked and I realized that even in India since 2014 in India they have a policy to only build concrete roads because it works out much cheaper so I said well let me bring this to my bosses and we have been discussing this as recently as last week in Parliament and Bishop Dag, I will let you into it Cabinet did decide last week that we should move towards concrete roads as a country”.

Daily Guide report, Dr Bawumia, again in 2017 while addressing a congregation of the LCI at the Independent Square during the 2017, Easter Friday Service said plans are far advanced to construct concrete roads across the country.

He explained government in consultation with engineers from the Ministry of Roads, has discovered that concrete roads last longer and is also less expensive than asphalted ones hence the decision.

“When we did the analysis and costing, we realized that a kilometer of a dual carriage concrete road will cost the country $3.8 million and that of asphalt $2.8 million, but the concrete road will last for 40 years while the asphalt will last for only ten years,” DailyGuide report said on May 3, 2017 quoted the Vice President.

However, some four years on, much have not been heard or seen about the concrete roads.

Source: GhanaPlus.com