ARTICLE 35(7) HAS STALLED GHANA’S DEVELOPMENT..A PLUS

This is the part of the constitution which has stalled Ghana’s development for many years.

Article 35 (7) of the 1992 constitution: 👇🏾

“As far as practicable, a government shall continue and execute projects and programmes commenced by the previous Governments.”

All TPP is asking for is an amendment of this clause. As it stands now any government can cancel a project or programme as far as they think it is not “practicable.” This is the main reason why many programs and projects have been abandoned.

Late Professor Atta Mills didn’t think it was practicable to continue the Accra Kumasi highway. 11 years on, it is still uncompleted while the completed part is deteriorating. Some projects and programmes by the Acheampong government 40 years ago have been left to rot. Some hospitals like the bank of Ghana hospital, the military hospital in Kumasi, E blocks, etc, started by the erstwhile John Mahama administration have been abandoned because the current government thinks it is not “practicable” to continue these projects. If NPP leaves power, a new administration can decide that free SHS is not “practicable” and may decide not to continue as no law mandates it to do so.

According to the auditor general, Ghana loses 25 million dollars annually to uncompleted projects. Governments abandon projects and make excuses that, previous government’s bloat contract prices. The reality is that, they abandon such projects so that they can begin project in their own party manifestos and chop money instead of continuing projects in a previous government’s manifesto where the money has already been chopped. Even if a contract is bloated, those involved could be treated as criminals and prosecute instead of abandoning a whole project to waste taxpayer’s money. Why must our development be determined by an NDC or NPP manifesto and not a national development plan?

This clause must be amended to make it mandatory for governments to continue projects and programmes by previous governments. Our constitution must also give the National Development Planning Commission the independence and power to sanction and enforce the completion of projects

If you truly love Ghana, support TPP and let’s demand a national development plan and an amendment to article 35 (7) to prevent NDC & NPP from using their discretion and selfish interest to delay our development.