Stephen Yakubu, the Upper West Regional Minister, has admonished opposition parties to cease taking credit for policies and programmes, especially projects that are being implemented by the government.

“You must learn to take credit where credit is due. You must also give praises to the government if it implements a project that will enhance development and bring benefits to the people,” he said.

Yakubu gave the advice when he commissioned the Upper West Regional edition of 100 earthmoving machines, including trucks and other equipment, under the District Roads Improvement Project (DRIP).

He said there had been sustained negative politicking going around in the communities by some opposition parties regarding the DRIP and claiming ownership of it as their brainchild, to which they had no entitlement.

He explained that the DRIP had been solely the brainchild of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and the New Patriotic Party-led government and that no other political party or individual could take credit for it.

The Regional Minister noted that the practice of opposition parties claiming policies and programmes they had not initiated created misunderstanding among the people, discouraging community members from showing interest in and maintaining such projects.

He said under DRIP, district assemblies would use the machines to improve deplorable portions of their roads and construct link roads based on community demand to facilitate the movement of people, goods, and services.

The central government would provide financial assistance to the assemblies to cater for the operational needs of the machines and salaries for the operators.

Yakubu said even though the European Union’s Farm Roads support to the region had helped to improve the road network, there was still a huge gap in the sector needing to be worked on.

Kuudigr K. Venantius, the Acting Regional Coordinator of DRIP, said operators and mechanics had been recruited to be trained by experts from the manufacturing company in China on the operations and maintenance of the machines.

He said J.A. Plant Pool, a commercial wing of Jospong Group of Companies, who were the suppliers of the equipment, would make spare parts available to cater for maintenance works at any given time.