Nduom not the originator of George W. Bush Highway – Kufuor

A former President of Ghana, John Agyekum Kufuor, has dismissed assertions that Dr. Paa Kwesi Nduom must be accorded all the credit for securing the $547 million under the Millennium Challenge Account for the NI Highway.

Prior to the commissioning of the highway on Wednesday, pro-Nduom groups called for the newly-constructed highway to be named after Dr Nduom instead of its official name of the George Walker Bush Motorway.

However, Mr. Kufuor in an interview on the Citi Breakfast Show on Thursday said the former Public Sector Minister cannot take credit for the project as preparations were already in its final stages when Dr. Nduom was brought in to head the committee responsible for its implementation.

“He was not the originator of the idea; in fact he came virtually at the tail end,” Kufuor stated. “But the team that worked the detail of the compact was there right from the beginning. We started working the draft of the contract with a person called Mr. Ansah, a consultant and an accountant as well. He led the team originally, but he wasn’t committed as it was required and so another person came in. “

He revealed: “Meanwhile, the main body of the team continued to work the project. It was at the final stage that I invited Paa Kwesi Nduom as my minister to come and head the team. “

Mr. Kufuor said he recalled calling Dr Nduom to the Castle and introducing him to the committee as their new head.

Dr. Nduom was not the reason the US considered Ghana as a recipient of the Millennium Challenge Account, but was as a result of the country?s record of good governance, he noted.

“He came in as a minister, in fact his main role was to be a spokesperson, more like a mouthpiece of the committee, and so if he says he is the originator then he would not be telling the story truthfully,” the former President pointed out.

On the commissioning of the N1 Highway, former president Kufuor said: “I am totally satisfied and happy to be there for the commissioning of the highway. I felt I had been vindicated on deciding on the team to man the project. “

He commended the Chief Executive Officer of the Millennium Development Authority, Mr. Martin Eson-Benjamin, on executing the compact and for “showing exceptional competence, commitment and focus. ”

From: Citifmonline.com