Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has disclosed that government have allocated GHS253 million in the 2023 budget towards the construction of the Pwalugu dam.
He made this known when he welcomed the Board and leadership of the Association to the Jubilee House Monday, December 12 2022, to discuss issues of concern to Ghanaian farmers, particularly the impact of climate change and the importance of irrigation to year round farming.
The Vice President took the opportunity to explain the various measures government is taking to ensure the construction of dams, especially the Pwalugu multipurpose dam, for whose construction he said the government will engage the World Bank and also invite private sector participation.
“In the meantime, GHC253 million has been allocated in the 2023 budget towards the construction of the Pwalugu dam,” he told the farmers.
He noted that when completed Pwalugu will, at 25,000 hectares, almost double the amount of irrigable land in Ghana while controlling yearly flooding from the spillage of the Bagre dam and provide 60mw of electricity.
Sod was cut for the construction of the Pwalugu Multipurpose dam project in 2020 and was to be funded with a Sydohydro facility of $993 million.
The project awarded to China Power International group was scheduled for completion four years after the sod cutting.
The project was aimed at addressing the perennial flooding associated with the spillage of the Bagre dam from neighbouring Burkina-Faso and also providing 60MW and 50MW of hydro and solar electricity respectively.
But physical construction of the project at Kurugu in the North East Region is yet to commence after two years and ten months into the project execution period.