The Parliamentary Minority has pledged its support for government efforts to provide emergency assistance to victims of the recent floods but insists that every cedi of the proposed GH¢300 million flood relief fund must be fully accounted for.
Addressing a press conference, the Minority Leader, Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin, said while the caucus welcomes plans to support affected communities, emergency financial assistance cannot replace the comprehensive flood prevention and disaster mitigation measures the government had promised to implement.
According to him, expressions of sympathy and aerial assessments of flood-hit communities do not absolve the government of its responsibility to prevent the disaster through effective drainage infrastructure and flood control measures.
“Compassion for the victims of this crisis and accountability for the government that failed to prevent it are not mutually exclusive. Both are necessary, and the Minority insists on both,” he stated.
The Minority is therefore demanding that the government submit a comprehensive and itemised report to Parliament detailing how the proposed GH¢300 million contingency fund will be allocated and spent.
Hon. Afenyo-Markin said the report should identify the specific flood-affected communities that will benefit from the fund, outline the projects and interventions to be undertaken, and disclose the names of contractors awarded contracts, together with evidence that all procurement processes comply with the relevant public financial management and procurement laws.
The caucus also called on the government to clearly separate the two proposed allocations within the fund to facilitate effective parliamentary oversight.
According to the Minority, the government should provide separate accounts for the GH¢150 million earmarked for emergency relief and humanitarian assistance to affected families and the GH¢150 million allocated for flood mitigation and drainage improvement projects, supported by detailed implementation plans and expenditure reports.
Hon. Afenyo-Markin said the Minority’s demand for transparency is informed by previous emergency interventions that, according to the caucus, lacked adequate public accountability.
He cautioned that Ghanaians have witnessed several emergency funding initiatives announced with much publicity but followed by limited transparency regarding the utilisation of public funds.
The Minority maintained that the proposed GH¢300 million flood relief package must be subjected to rigorous parliamentary scrutiny to ensure that every allocation is used for its intended purpose and delivers meaningful support to victims of the recent floods.
