A former Senior Government and Public Relations Officer at the Volta River Authority (VRA) in-charge of liaising with the Government, Ministries, and the Public on the Pwalugu Multipurpose Dam Project has debunked claims that the dam project has caused financial loss to the state.
This follows National Democratic Congress (NDC) flagbearer, John Mahama’s pledge to hold accountable those responsible for the financial losses incurred on the project if elected.
During a media interaction in Bolgatanga, Mahama highlighted that $12 million had been spent on the project without any work being completed.
He emphasized his commitment to completing the Pwalugu multipurpose dam, which was intended to mitigate recurring floods in the Upper East Region but remains unfinished.
But in an interview on Joy FM’s Newsnight on Wednesday, August 7, Mr Prah justified the expenditure on the three-in-one project, which includes a 60-megawatt hydropower dam, a 50-megawatt solar hybrid, and a 2,500-hectare irrigation scheme consisting of a 12-meter high weir and a canal network (main, primary, secondary, and tertiary canals).
Mr Prah explained that for a project of this magnitude, substantial preliminary activities and expenses are inevitable.
“You are talking of a dam of this magnitude and you are expecting that as you are there, or probably before the major concrete work, nothing should be done, quite of number of activities have gone on and you cannot do all those activities without spending money,” he added.
These activities included land acquisition, extensive stakeholder engagement in the major affected communities, environmental and social impact assessments, topographical surveys and mapping, physical pillaring of over 500 square kilometers, geological and geotechnical surveys, comprehensive drawings and design reports, and a resettlement action plan.
He questioned the accusations of causing financial loss, emphasizing that significant work and spending were necessary to advance the project to its current stage.
“And then somebody says causing financial loss, who has caused financial loss?” he asked.
However, he did not provide specific figures for the amount spent on each component of the project.