John Mahama
The Flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress, former President John Dramani Mahama, has once again promised to initiate plans, designs, and feasibility studies for constructing a new city outside Accra to ease the growing congestion, after scamming Ghanaians to construct the $10 billion rLG – Hope City in 2013.
John Dramani Mahama, then President on Monday, 3rd March, 2013, cut the sod for the commencement of work on a $10 billion rLG Communications building complex with the assurance that government would partner the private sector to create jobs.
The project, which is dubbed: “City of Hope” gave the full meaning of hope as homes, offices, and conducive environment would be created for people to work and was expected to be completed within three years.
The cluster was composed of six towers of different dimensions, one tower 270m height (75 storeys, the highest in Africa), two towers of 216m (60 storeys), and three towers of 152m height (42 storeys).
However, the project being undertaken by Roland Agambire, Chairman of the AGAMS Group and Chief Executive Officer of rlg Communications Limited turned out to be a ghost town as he failed to execute.
Interestingly, Mr Mahama who is desperate for power and said Ghanaians have short memories in a smart move to lure Ghanaians for vote has once again promised to construct a new City outside Accra to ease congestion.
Mr Mahama on Tuesday, May 28, 2024 while speaking with the European Union Chamber of Commerce said “While Accra remains the capital, the time has come to decongest it by relocating some of the government ministries, departments, agencies, and financial institutions outside the city.”
According to him “We will commence a feasibility study with a plan to construct a new city. Accra is grid-locked, and the time has arrived for us to relocate certain parts of the government services from Accra.”
The former President lamented that a future city could straddle three regions, including Greater Accra, Eastern, and Volta Regions, and would be close to the Volta Lake, providing abundant water.
“Accra will remain the capital, but we will transfer a portion of it elsewhere. There is already available land on the Accra Plains and the opposite bank of the Volta Lake. Moreover, we are establishing a port terminal in Mpakadan to transport cargo to the northern part of the country.”
“There is abundant land in that area, allowing us to relocate some ministries, agencies, and departments out of the city and alleviate congestion,” he said.
-BY Daniel Bampoe