By Daniel Bampoe
After years of public debate and political denials, the Northern Development Authority (NDA) has finally confirmed the existence of the controversial One Million Dollars Per Constituency Projects, otherwise known as the Infrastructure for Poverty Eradication Projects (IPEP).
The government, through a new directive, has ordered that all ongoing and uncompleted IPEP projects be handed over to the respective District Assemblies for completion and management.
The directive, issued on October 16, 2025, marks a major policy shift and serves as an official acknowledgment that the projects indeed existed — despite years of claims by some political figures that the initiative was mere propaganda by then–President Akufo-Addo and Bawumia during the 2016 election campaign.
According to a press release from the NDA, the government’s decision aims to “strengthen decentralization and ensure the effective completion and management of community infrastructure projects at the local level.”
It added that 20 percent of the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF) has now been allocated to enable the Assemblies to complete all ongoing and uncompleted IPEP projects.
The statement, signed by the Corporate Affairs Directorate of the NDA, further disclosed that a comprehensive status report on all IPEP projects has been submitted to the five Regional Coordinating Councils (RCCs) across Northern Ghana to guide the transfer and monitoring process.
District Assemblies seeking further details have been advised to contact their respective NDA regional offices for technical support and clarification.
This development has reignited public discussion about the authenticity and management of the $1 million per constituency initiative, which was a flagship campaign promise of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in 2016.
Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, then the NPP’s running mate, had promised that each of the 276 constituencies would receive the cedi equivalent of $1 million annually to fund local infrastructure and poverty eradication projects.
However, during and after the NPP’s first term in office, sections of the opposition and even some civil society organizations dismissed the claim as a publicity gimmick, arguing that no such projects existed on the ground.
The latest directive from the NDA, therefore, contradicts earlier assertions that the initiative was political propaganda.
Background investigations show that the IPEP initiative was officially launched in 2017 under the Ministry of Special Development Initiatives (MSDI) to accelerate infrastructure development in deprived areas, particularly in the Northern, Upper East, and Upper West Regions.
The NDA was later tasked to implement and monitor these projects, which included the construction of small dams, warehouses, rural roads, markets, and health facilities.
Over the years, the initiative suffered setbacks including allegations of contract inflation, ghost projects, and procurement irregularities.
Some contractors abandoned sites due to delayed payments, while others faced difficulties due to limited oversight and coordination between the NDA and local assemblies.
With the government now transferring control of these projects to the District Assemblies, stakeholders hope that local authorities will ensure transparency and accountability in their completion.
Development experts, however, warn that the move must be accompanied by strict monitoring to prevent the repetition of past inefficiencies and financial mismanagement.
The NDA’s latest action also raises political questions — particularly about why it took nearly nine years after the 2016 promise for the government to formally recognize and decentralize the IPEP projects.
As of now, over 2,000 community infrastructure projects under IPEP remain at various stages of completion across Northern Ghana.
The NDA’s new directive could therefore determine whether these long-delayed projects finally see the light of day or remain another chapter in the long history of abandoned development promises.
