Information gathered is that, the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) and the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service have simultaneously invited Ms. Rita Mesiwoto Batse, a New Patriotic Party (NPP) activist in the Hohoe Municipality, to investigate an abandoned factory project in the Volta Region.
The 16-lot Urban Development Grant (UDG) garage project, which was started in 2022 and finished in 2024 under the previous NPP government, is rotting away in the jungle, according to Ms. Batse in a widely shared video.
She states that the government’s 24-hour economic program and industrialisation might have been carried out in these garages.
These were a part of an industrial project that was started by the former NPP government led by Akufo-Addo with the goal of encouraging local manufacturing and employment development.
They were finished garages with state-of-the-art restrooms, a creche for working parents, and police and fire stations.
Such projects were frequently implemented as part of larger initiatives to decentralise industrial development across the nation, however precise facility specifics are still scarce.
Like many comparable initiatives, though, there are occasionally worries about maintenance issues, financial limitations that effect completion and utilisation, and delays in complete operationalisation.
Before being fully operational, newly built facilities frequently need additional infrastructure, such as access roads, utilities, and equipment, all of which fall under the purview of the government.
According to information obtained, Mr. Prosper Kumi, the Hohoe Municipal Chief Executive, gave the order for the BNI and CID to invite Ms. Batse at an Assembly meeting.
This came when the MCE enquired as to how the NPP activist obtained permission to photograph and record the rooms within the structures and their environs.
“Let me kindly appeal to the house and the media to be measured in their commentaries because some discussions on our media platforms can either help us or harm us.”
“Just yesterday, I came across false information circulating on social media regarding the garages, claiming they had been completed and abandoned. That was very unfortunate. I have since directed my planning officer to engage the security services because we need to understand how an individual managed to gain access to the facility, enter the rooms, and take pictures and videos.”
“These are UDG projects and they have not yet been completed. Some essential components were not included initially, so the assembly had to come together to add them before the facility could become operational.”
“At the time, the place had no electricity, no water supply, and no access road. All these had to be provided before the project could function properly.”
“We must therefore be careful about the kind of information we share on social media and how we go about such matters. I am particularly concerned about how the individual accessed the facility, entered the rooms, and recorded those videos.”
“I am therefore putting the security agencies on notice to investigate how the keys were accessed and how entry into the rooms was gained,” the Hohoe MCE directed during the Assembly meeting.”
Although the specifics of Ms. Batse’s invitation are still unknown, it is known that the BNI and CID are attempting to determine the circumstances behind the creation of the video as well as the veracity of the statements made.
In the Hohoe municipality and elsewhere, the development has elicited conflicting responses from civil society and political circles.
Some NPP supporters contended that by calling attention to what she saw as a non-functional public investment, Ms. Batse was only expressing her right to free speech.
They maintained that her worries are a reflection of more general difficulties with accountability about the use and upkeep of infrastructure that is subsidised by the state.
However, some have warned against the dissemination of unreliable information, particularly on social media, claiming that such content might exacerbate political tensions and lead to misunderstandings regarding development projects.
They said that before posting material online, people who openly discuss state infrastructure should make sure it is accurate and has the right context.
Source: newsthemegh.com