The Member of Parliament for Atiwa East, Abena Osei-Asare, has urged the government to focus on completing abandoned public projects, saying it would bring more benefits to the country than spending money in other areas.
Speaking during an interview on Friday, July 24, while discussing the 2026 Mid-Year Budget Review, the former Deputy Finance Minister said the government should invest more in unfinished projects instead of leaving them abandoned.
According to her, the Auditor-General’s 2024 report showed that many government projects across the country had been abandoned or left incomplete, costing the state huge sums of money.
“I have seen that capex. There are a lot of abandoned projects in the district assemblies alone,” she said.
She noted that abandoned and incomplete projects were among the biggest contract irregularities highlighted in the Auditor-General’s report, with projects worth GH¢189 million left unfinished.
“One of the huge infractions that we saw in 2024 was contract irregularities, and that had to do with abandoned projects and uncompleted projects to the tune of GH¢189 million,” she stated.
Abena Osei-Asare said completing these projects should be a top priority because they would immediately benefit communities and ensure that public funds are put to good use.
“If you are spending, spend to complete these abandoned projects because that alone, if you should take that infraction from the huge infractions that the Auditor-General spoke about in the end-of-year 2024 report, would do this country a lot of good,” she said.
The Atiwa East MP also questioned the government’s spending decisions, saying the figures in the Mid-Year Budget Review suggested that capital investment had not been given enough attention.
She explained that although the government planned to spend GH¢21 billion on capital expenditure, only GH¢14 billion was used. Meanwhile, spending on arrears reached GH¢29 billion, far above the GH¢14 billion approved by Parliament.
“When you have capex of GH¢21 billion, and you end up spending GH¢14 billion, but rather you have arrears of GH¢14 billion, and you end up spending GH¢29 billion, that is where I say that you are not spending in the right places,” she said.
She stressed that putting more money into completing stalled infrastructure projects would have a greater impact on the economy and improve the lives of Ghanaians.
“Spend in the right places and then the effects will be felt by all and sundry,” she added.
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