Former Minister of Youth and Sports, Nii Lante Vanderpuye, has pledged that if the National Democratic Congress (NDC) is elected to power in the 2024 Presidential and Parliamentary Elections, the party will take steps to recover any misused funds related to sports infrastructure projects, including Youth Resource Centres across Ghana.
In an exclusive interview with ChannelOne Sports, Vanderpuye responded to concerns about the stalled construction of the Youth Resource Centres, many of which are reportedly near completion but have been left idle. He stressed that the NDC is committed to ensuring that taxpayer funds are spent effectively and that the intended purposes of these projects are fulfilled.
“Any facility that government and the taxpayer’s money has been spent on will definitely be completed and used for the purpose for which it was constructed,” Vanderpuye said. “However, there will be nothing wrong with the government probing to see whether the money has been judiciously used. Where it’s found that funds were misused, appropriate measures will be taken to retrieve the money.”
The former minister, who is also the NDC’s Parliamentary Candidate for the Odododiodio Constituency, emphasized the need for transparency and accountability in the management of public funds.
“If by the grace of God, I find myself in a position where I need to ask certain questions and demand answers from my predecessor, I will do so. I don’t care who my predecessor was. I will not inherit a problem that I didn’t cause, and I won’t be without answers when asked about it tomorrow,” he added.
Vanderpuye’s comments reflect the NDC’s intent to address the challenges surrounding the Youth Resource Centres, ensuring that public funds are recovered where misuse has occurred and that the projects are completed to serve their intended purposes.
