Parliament of Ghana has approved the $2 billion bauxite-for-infrastructure barter agreement between the government of Ghana and Sinohydro Corporation of China.
The agreement seeks to leverage a fraction of Ghana’s bauxite resources to address its infrastructure deficits and will provide a wide variety of projects including hospitals, bridges, interchanges, roads, housing units, rural electrification, among others.
On Wednesday, 5th December, 2018, the deal was approved to the dismay of the Minority in Parliament after a heated debate.
According to the Ranking Member of the Roads and Transport Committee, Kwame Agbodza, a 2-layer road in 2016 cost the Ghanaian taxpayer just GHS1 million but the same length of road has been pegged at GHS 5 million under the contract.
Mr. Agbodza,debated the report of the Finance Committee on the deal, and also questioned why a picture to be attached to a certificate will cost $60 under the contract.
However ,the majority leader Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, in a counter argument lauded the deal saying it seeks to bring development to Ghana.
