Features
Abandoned projects: Ghana’s monument to neglect (Part 2)
Last week, I wrote about how successive governments abandon on-going projects, either initiated by a previous administration, or by the party in power itself.
The projects span various spheres of national development such as health and educational facilities, housing schemes, sports infrastructure, roads and highways, among other things.
For starters, I cited the abandonment of the $200 – million Saglemi Affordable Housing Scheme at Prampram, as a classic example of a monument to neglect.
By that I mean Ghana’s notorious tendency to waste our scarce resources by pumping vast sums of money into projects already investigated and certified feasible, only to discontinue them, sometimes even when almost completed.
The 300-acre Saglemi project initiated by the previous NDC regime comprises a 5000-unit residential facility to accommodate middle and low-income earners within Accra and its environs and reduce the housing deficit in the metropolis.
When the NPP took over from the NDC in 2016, the first phase of the project, consisting of 180 blocks of flats with 1,500 residential units, had already been completed at the cost of $200 million. But to date, no allocations of the completed flats has been made.
The ruling government’s explanation is that it has detected evidence of financial impropriety in procurement as well as inconsistencies in contract documents handed over to it by the previous administration.
Meanwhile, the workers for whom the project was undertaken, continue to wallow in squalid living conditions while the buildings deteriorate at a fast rate.
Whatever the problem, and for the sake of the beneficiaries, is there no way allocations can be made while investigations into allegations of financial malfeasance are conducted?
This week I continue with another project which can be rightly categorised as a monument to neglect. I am referring to the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) Teaching Hospital.
The project was initiated in 2007 by the university’s College of Architecture and Planning with support from the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) under the auspices of former president J.A. Kufuor.
The university banked on its internally-generated funds and donor support to raise enough money to supplement government’s contribution.
However, the project did not begin until 2008. Amid much fanfare, the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu who is the Chancellor of KNUST, cut the sod for the $125-millionwork to begin in earnest.
The 800-bed capacity hospital, was expected to be one of the leading medical training and healthcare facilities in the country, to enable patients to access the facility towards easing the unnecessary pressure on other health facilities in the Ashanti Regional capital of Kumasi.
Apart from providing health care services, the project was also expected to serve as a teaching, research, and training facility for health and allied professionals critically needed for efficient health service delivery in the country and beyond.
Covering a land area of some 71 acres, the project, which is sited at Boadi in the Oforikrom Municipality, has among its features, a cardiothoracic and neurosurgical centre, a diagnostic unit and laboratory, morgue, administration and Out-Patient-Department (OPD) blocks, wards, security post, effluent chambers as well as a laundry unit.
It was expected to be completed in six years which should have been 2014, with the first phase comprising the administration block and facilities required to kick-start operations projected to be ready for use within two years.
But after the superstructure was only partially completed, this very important project was abandoned due to inadequate inflows from the KNUST’s internally generated funds and external donors. For that reason, the project has remained stalled for over a decade. What?
Do we not have any sense of urgency? Where do our national priorities lie? How can we sacrifice so beneficial a programme as improved health care for the people with the unjustifiable excuse that we do not have money?
But we have money for other useless ventures that serve the parochial interests of advocates of such projects. Even if other constituencies have overwhelming comparative advantage for the siting of certain projects, some unscrupulous players in government, would scheme and pull all kinds of tricks to have them situated in areas that would ensure personal dividends. For them the end justifies the means.
It took repeated reminders from the Asantehene to get the project resumed, as it were, only recently. About four years ago, that is, in 2018, at the 52nd graduation ceremony of the university, attended by the then Minister of Education, Matthew Opoku Prempeh, the monarch urged the government to release funds to ensure the completion of the project
Then, two years later in 2020, during the investiture of Professor Rita Akosua Dickson as the new Vice-Chancellor of KNUST, Otumfuo repeated his concerns about the neglect of the project in the presence of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
The Akans have a time-tested proverb that, if you want to communicate with God, just speak into the air. That is the wisdom Otumfuo applied, and it worked.
In an urgent and emotional direct appeal to the President, Otumfuo Osei Tutu said: “I have written a series of letters to the Ministry of Finance and to the office of His Excellency the President, but it appears no action has since been taken.”
“The KNUST,” he said, “has been very instrumental in the development of the country’s health systems and the completion of this facility will go a long way to contribute to the sustenance of such support…The time to act is now!” the Asantehene stressed.
In response, President Akufo-Addo assured that the project would be completed soon, saying that the tenure of the new Vice-Chancellor would be marked by the construction of the teaching hospital which is so dear to the heart of the Asantehene and the university community.
Another Ghanaian proverb in Akan says: “Treeeeeempoantremu a, wosekoko?” This loosely translates to: “Even when you poured it (maybe milk or any other drink) liberally, it was not sufficient for me, how much less would mere squeezes of drops suffice?
My point is, for over a decade the first phase which was supposed to be completed in six years did not reach anywhere.
Now the president says very soon the first phase will be completed. My Nigerian friends would say, “OK ooo, we shall see.”Not that I do not believe it. It is just too good to be true. Besides, my fear stems from that favourite word of politicians- soon. That is the snag. Why not put a timeline on it for us to be sure?
Probably, it will work this time. In fact, in 2021, the Government, according to the Asantehene, in response to his numerous appeals, initiated moves by releasing funds for the continuation of the project.
Media reports have quoted the Asantehene as saying that information available to him indicated that the first phase of the KNUST Teaching Hospital project would be completed by October 2022.
Otumfuo Osei Tutu revealed that government had already resumed construction works on the project, adding that the government had also made the necessary provisions for the second phase of the project in this year’s budget.
Contact: teepeejubilee@yahoo.co.uk
By Tony Prempeh
Conflict at work is more common than you might think. According to 2022 research by The Myers-Briggs Company, more than a third of the workforce reports dealing with conflict often, very often, or all the time in the workplace.
Addressing a dispute might feel tense or awkward, but resolving the conflict is typically well worth it in the long run. Whether you are trying to mediate conflict between colleagues or are directly involved. Last week we looked at three and this week is the remaining four steps you can take to manage workplace conflict.
4. Find common ground
The best way to handle workplace conflict is to start with what you can agree on. Find common ground between the people engaging in conflict. If you are directly involved in the conflict, slow down and focus on results instead of who’s right.
If you are the mediator for conflict resolution between coworkers, observe the discussion and help point out the common ground others may not see.
5. Collectively brainstorm solutions
When deciding how to handle workplace conflict, it can be tempting to problem-solve on your own. Sometimes, it feels easier to work independently rather than collaboratively. However, if you want to achieve a lasting resolution, you will need to motivate your team to get involved.
Brainstorm possible solutions together, and solicit input from everyone involved on the pros and cons of each option until you settle on a solution that feels comfortable to everyone. This will help all team members feel a sense of ownership that can help prevent future conflicts.
6. Create an action plan
Once you have created an open dialogue around workplace conflicts, it is time to resolve them. Just like any other work goal, this requires creating a concrete plan and following through.
Create an action plan and then act on it. It does not matter what the plan is, as long as you commit to it and resolve the conflict as a result.
7. Reflect on what you learned
All conflicts offer an opportunity to grow and become a better communicator. Identify what went well and what did not.
Work with your whole team to gather learnings from the conflict so you can avoid similar situations in the future.
Today, I continue with my narration of personalities and their accomplishments as members of the Ghanaian Diaspora in Finland, with a focus on Mr Joseph Osei Amoah.
Mr Amoah is one of the senior members of the Ghanaian community in Finland and a top member of the Ghana Union Finland, an association of the Ghanaian migrant community in Finland.
He is an active and a well-respected person in the Ghanaian community in Finland. Mr Osei Amoah moved to Finland in the mid-1990s, and he has lived in Helsinki all this time.
Accomplishments and honours
It is important to recount accomplishments as part of the success stories of the personalities of Ghanaian descent in Finland in order to highlight their exploits both within the Ghanaian migrant community and in the wider Finnish society.
Mr Amoah holds a Master’s degree in Demography from the University of Helsinki. At the time he came to Finland in 1994, he had majored in Economics at the Bachelor’s level at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST).
Sometimes affectionately called “Chairman” in the Ghanaian migrant community, Mr Osei is a former Chairman of the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) branch in Finland, assuming office around 2015, a few months after the branch was formed, until 2019 when he did not run again for the elections. He helped to bring vibrancy into the NPP Finland branch.
Religious life
Mr Amoah is a prominent member of the Global Methodist Church in Finland. In spite of his busy working life and other responsibilities, he remains a committed member of the Global Methodist Church in Finland.
He plays a key leadership role in the church, which is attended by many Ghanaian migrants and other African migrants, Finns, and those of other nationalities.
His position in Asanteman Finland
Mr Osei Amoah is an outstanding member of the Asanteman Finland, where he is the Gyasehene, a prominent position as a sub-chief in the Asante (and Akan) royal hierarchy, in the functioning of the traditional authority systemgenerally in Ghana.
The Asanteman Finland is an association formed purposely with the aim of supporting each other as well as to ensure unity among its members and others outside of the group.
One of its top priorities of Asanteman Finland is to display the Asante culture in Finland. Mr Osei Amoah finds this as very important since by upholding the traditional culture and heritage, the association enables its members and especially the young ones to get the chance to learn and appreciate Asante and Ghanaian cultural values. They do this through rites such as marriage, the naming ceremony, and death and funeral rites, which makes the people to learn more of their provenance and not forget their origins.
“My point is that, by displaying the traditional heritage it helps people to learn more about their provenance. For, I think it will be embarrassing to go home and see that even the young ones have much knowledge about how to perform certain rites whilst those of us in the diaspora may be deficient in understanding those practices”, he argued. It is also very important for the young ones who are born in Finland to learn what the culture of their original society is, he continued.
The Finnish educational system
Mr Osei has a lot to say about the Finnish educational system, which he sees as very good. “When we came to Finland, education was free. There were library books and manuscripts readily available in the library, and one could print or make as many photocopies as possible for your studies. There was more flexibility. One could read books and write exams on them for the necessary grades in order to complete your studies”. In his opinion, Ghana could learn much from the Finnish system, which is one of the best in the world.
He said the only initial challenge he found in Finland was how to master the Finnish language, without which it was difficult to get a job befitting one’s status after the studies. But things have changed today and there are many English courses so it is easy to study and get a job that matches your studies, especially in the area of ICT, he said.
His role in the Ghanaian community
Mr Osei Amoah has been very active in the Ghanaian community, as I have indicated earlier. He is still very active in the Ghana Union Finland, and has played a leadership in many functions organised by the Union, as a non-governmental organisation for the Ghanaian migrant community in Finland.
Mr Amoah has been a counsellor and mentor who has guided many young Ghanaian migrants on their career paths and has also been part in settling various kinds of conflicts between opposing parties or persons. In conclusion, I would say Mr Osei Amoah has succeeded in embossing his name in the golden pages of visionary Ghanaians in both Sweden and Finland.
With Dr Perpetual Crentsil
