The Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana (PFAG) is calling for investigations into the state of the Pwalugu Multipurpose dam project construction.
According to the association, though funds were devoted to the project, the construction of the project has been abandoned.
Sod was cut for the construction of the Pwalugu Multipurpose dam project in 2020 and was to be funded with a Sydohydro facility of $993 million.
The project awarded to China Power International group was scheduled for completion four years after the sod cutting.
The project was aimed at addressing the perennial flooding associated with the spillage of the Bagre dam from neighboring Burkina-Faso and also providing 60MW and 50MW of hydro and solar electricity respectively.
But physical construction of the project at Kurugu in the North East Region is yet to commence after two years and ten months into the project execution period.
The contractor has not only abandoned the site due to lack of funds but has sold the chippings, sand and blocks at the site.
Some farmers at Kurugu have also been sharing their frustration at the stalled project and impressed on the government to urgently get the contractor back on site to complete the project.
“Farming is what we do for a living here, but anytime we farm the spillage of the Bagre dam destroys our farm produce, but a dam project would have helped us in all-year-round farming.”
“So, when we heard of the construction of the Pwalugu multipurpose dam project we were happy, but later the contractor abandoned the site because of lack of funds,” one farmer said.
Shockingly, the site for the construction of the Pwalugu Multipurpose dam has been turned into a beans farm, with no sign of physical construction commencing anytime soon.
The Executive Director of PFAG, Dr. Nyaaba called for the probe to unravel why the project has been abandoned.
He also urged the government to show commitment to the speedy execution of the project to boost food productivity and poverty reduction through the project.
“What I am seeing here clearly shows that the government has abandoned the project,” he said.
“If a contractor is moving out of site and is selling everything, then it means they have abrogated the project,” Dr. Nyaaba said.
