Dr. Richard Fiadomor, President of the Chamber for Local Governance, has accused the government of diverting District Assembly Common Fund (DACF) funds to introduce the District Road Improvement Programme (DRIP). In an interview with The High Street Journal, Dr. Fiadomor alleged that the government underpaid the DACF by not providing the required 5% to the DACF Administrator for four years. This discrepancy was reportedly admitted by the then Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, after some Members of Parliament discovered the issue.
“The government was cheating the assemblies and was not paying the required 5% to the DACF Administrator. So when the MPs got to know that this is what the government has been doing for the past four years, they confronted and the government agreed that the money they have been paying was not the required money. So the government through the ministry (Ministry of Finance) was “stealing” from the DACF,” Dr. Fiadomor said.
He stressed that the District Assembly Common Fund is a constitutional injunction, managed by the constitution, which determines how much should be given to the assembly by the government. “So if it’s 5% of total revenue, now, when that 5% of total revenue is collected for and on behalf of the assemblies, the constitution requires that that money should be paid into the accounts of the DACF,” he explained.
While Dr. Fiadomor acknowledged the government’s efforts to assist assemblies in fixing inner roads, he stressed that such actions must be transparent and constitutionally compliant. “It is the responsibility of the assembly to fix the inner road, so if the government is doing anything to assist the assemblies to fix the inner road, I think that one is a highly commendable thing that the government with the assemblies are taking measures to fix the inner road,” he added.
This controversy follows President Akufo-Addo’s launch of DRIP on July 31, aimed at improving rural roads. However, the Minority in Parliament has since submitted a Right to Information (RTI) request seeking details about the programme, including equipment specifications, payment schedules, and overall costs. The government has yet to respond to the request.
The project is being implemented by the Ministry of Local Government and Decentralization and Rural Development in partnership with J. A. Plant Pool Gh Ltd, owned by Joseph Siaw Agyapong and his partners.
