Information Minister Fatimatu Abubakar has hit back at the flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama, over his assertions that the government contracted a loan to pay for the equipment procured under the District Road Improvement Programme (DRIP)
Mahama had accused the government of making a down payment of only 15 percent from the loan secured for the DRIP initiative.
But speaking at a town hall meeting in Tamale on Tuesday, October 7, Fati Abubakar says the government leveraged the District Assembly Common Fund to secure the DRIP programme and not being serviced with a loan.
“This is an initiative of President Akufo-Addo, his legacy and a programme that is funded by his government. So for whatever value or propaganda value, if someone makes it appear as if we have contracted some loan and the financing has allowed us to pay for only 15 percent but we can’t pay for the rest, let them know the District Assembly’s Common Fund, which is a statutory fund that does not have political colour was leveraged on. And that is what the government has leveraged to fund this DRIP initiative.”
DRIP was launched on July 31, 2024, by Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo Addo and is designed to address the pressing need for road maintenance and construction equipment in metropolitan, municipal, and district assemblies to enhance connectivity and spur economic growth.
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