Former President John Mahama, the NDC's flagbearer for the 2024 general election, has given the strongest indication yet that persons who supervised the payment of US$12 million for the construction of the Pwalugu multipurpose dam would be held accountable.
According to him, it was unacceptable for such amount to be sunk into a project without anything to show for it.
"We have lost money for no work done. When you go to the site, there is absolutely nothing there so somebody has caused financial loss to the state and must be held to account to answer," the former President indicated.
He was responding to questions from journalists here in Bolgatanga at a media engagement on Wednesday after his four-day campaign tour of the Upper East Region.
The Auditor-General in its audit report for 2022 revealed the amount had been paid to the contractor Power China though no work has been done.
The project, Mr Mahama said was desirable and "we intend to continue and we will look for a dedicated source of funding so that we can push it from start to finish."
He said completing the project would be in the interest of his next government as he seeks to create jobs for the teeming youth of the country in all sectors of the country.
Youth unemployment, he said has reached a crescendo and urgent steps must be taken to address it before it spiraled out of control.
If not addressed in earnest, he warned that violent protests that Kenya and Nigeria have seen in recent times could befall Ghana.
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"Addressing unemployment is number one (for the next NDC government). There are teeming young people who have nothing to do and it is a ticking time bomb for us.
"If we don't do anything about youth unemployment, then I'm afraid we will have some of what is happening in Kenya and Nigeria in our hands," he predicted.
Youth unemployment which has risen from eight per cent in 2016 and at 15 per cent now makes the situation alarming and all must be concerned.
"Youth unemployment should be declared a national emergency and everything we must do to find these young people something to do must be done," Mr Mahama observed.
To this end, Mr Mahama said the economy would have to be reset to create the opportunities for the youth to be able to offer decent jobs and create the enabling environments for them.
Apart from the 24-hour economy policy which would facilitate a speedy recovery of the economy from the mess it's been left by the current administration, the former President said specific area program would be put in place to create the needed jobs.
In relation to the Upper East Region, he said a rice milling facility would be established in the Builsa area to add value to the commodity to give farmers competitive prices.
His next government, he said would find a dedicated source of funding for the construction of the Pwalugu multipurpose dam to ensure all-year farming in the region.
