BY Daniel Bampoe
A political controversy has erupted in the Lower Manya Krobo Municipality in the Eastern Region after former Municipal Chief Executive, Simon Kweku Tetteh, has exposed the current Municipal Chief Executive, John Atteh Matey, of taking credit for projects initiated and substantially completed under the previous New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration.
The disagreement follows a public report issued by the current MCE outlining what he described as achievements recorded within his first twelve months in office under the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government.
In the report, John Atteh Matey highlighted developments in healthcare, education, sanitation, infrastructure, agriculture, roads, transport, security and social welfare across the municipality.
Among the projects listed were the Lower Manya Astroturf, the Tsledom CHPS Compound, the Kpong market sheds, the Somanya-Kpong highway construction, the Firestone storm drain extension and an aquaculture initiative involving 5,000 catfish.
However, the former MCE, Simon Kweku Tetteh, has strongly disputed the presentation of those projects as achievements of the current administration.
According to him, several of the projects being promoted by the current MCE were fully initiated, funded and nearly completed under the Akufo-Addo-led NPP administration before the NDC government assumed office.
The former MCE specifically cited the Lower Manya Astroturf at Laasi Park in Odumase Krobo, the Tsledom Health Centre project, the Kpong market sheds and the aquaculture project as initiatives that were started during his tenure.
He also argued that the storm drain project at Firestone formed part of an existing road construction arrangement initiated under the previous administration and should not be presented as a fresh intervention by the current government.
According to Simon Kweku Tetteh, the aquaculture project itself was initiated in 2024 before the change in government.
He further explained that rehabilitation and conservation works on the Somanya to Kpong road corridor had already commenced in April 2024 prior to the NDC taking office.
The former MCE additionally disclosed that the Akuse Methodist SHS boys’ dormitory block, which the current administration listed among its achievements, was already under construction before the political transition.
“All these projects were started and nearly completed before the NDC government took over, hence the need to give credit to the former administration and not steal it,” he argued.
The disagreement reflects growing political tensions between the NPP and NDC over ownership and attribution of ongoing development projects across various districts and municipalities nationwide.
Successive governments in Ghana have frequently accused each other of either abandoning inherited projects or rebranding existing initiatives for political advantage after assuming office.
In his twelve-month performance summary, the current MCE highlighted several interventions undertaken since assuming office on May 12, 2025.
In the healthcare sector, he mentioned the commissioning of a modern CHPS Compound at Tsledom with a mechanized borehole, the distribution of 27 Honda motorbikes to the health directorate and the commencement of additional CHPS facilities at Amedeka and Yokuyim.
In education, he cited ongoing classroom block projects at Kpong Quarters and Agormanya R/C, support for BECE students, furniture distribution to schools and financial support for tertiary students.
The MCE also outlined sanitation exercises conducted across several communities, evacuation of refuse sites and road rehabilitation activities within the municipality.
On infrastructure, he highlighted the commissioning of a market shed for Kpong fishmongers funded by the Volta River Authority, as well as mechanized borehole projects across multiple communities.
Road projects mentioned in the report included grading and patching works on several roads, culvert construction and road clearing exercises within the municipality.
However, the rebuttal from the former MCE has shifted public attention toward the origins and timelines of many of the projects listed.
