Minority to investigate $12m spent on Pwalugu Dam

The Minority in Parliament has raised serious concerns about the progress of the Pwalugu Multipurpose Dam project in the Upper East Region.

They allege a lack of development on the site despite $12 million spent on the project.

Addressing journalists at the site, MP for Yapei-Kusawgu John Jinapor said everybody involved in the deal which has already cost the state $12 million will be investigated and prosecuted.

“We will activate all the parliamentary processes to retrieve that amount of money, almost 200 million cedis that has been dashed to this contractor. Somebody must be held accountable. $12 million can do a lot in this country.

“So we’ll use every legitimate means, every legal means to retrieve the money and punish those who have caused this financial crime and financial loss to the state,” he said.

His comments come after the Minority leadership on the Mines and Energy Committee of Parliament visited the site of the much talked about $1 billion Pwalugu Multipurpose irrigation dam, which was supposed to be completed this year after being commissioned in 2019.

The Committee leadership led by the ranking member, Hon John Jinapor, visited the chief of the village, Kurugu, in the Northeast region and further proceeded to the project site only to be met with an empty land with sold-out chippings and stones that were initially brought in by the contractor.

The supposed communities that were mentioned to have been relocated by the funds released were still at post and the chiefs said no one had approached him on any relocation.

The components of the project were to include the construction of a Roller Compacted Concrete dam with an elevation of 168 metres above sea level near the Pwalugu Bridge on the White Volta River and with a reservoir covering an area of 262 square kilometres.

A powerhouse consisting of two Kaplan turbines with 60 megawatts of installed capacity and a solar power plant of 50 megawatts.

An irrigation scheme consisting of a 20-metre high water weir and canal network for about 25,000 hectares of land would be installed.

Among the delegation were Hon Edward Bawa MP for Bongo, Deputy National Communication Officer of the NDC, Malik Basintale, Regional Communication Officer of the Upper East, and Jonathan Abdullah among others.