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In what can best pass for a direct shade at former President John Mahama following his questioning of the current administration's decision to purchase drones for the health sector, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo says he will rather spend on that intriguing and transformational idea of drones flying medicines to citizens than to invest in guinea fowls farming.

The Former president, addressing supporters and other National Democratic Congress (NDC) faithfuls at the International Trade Fair Center in Accra after filing his nomination Monday, criticised the Akufo-Addo government for its decision to use drones to deliver medical essentials, especially to remote areas in the country.

Not A Priority

He said the sector needs more urgent interventions than the Drone Delivery Service that the current administration is busying itself with introducing.

 “…instead of prioritizing the needs of the health sector, the NPP government chose to acquire drones to fly blood....Government should get its priorities right by spending the limited resources on more essential interventions other than copying innovations blindly without relevance to the realities of Ghana’s current needs,” Mr Mahama said.

But in a sharp riposte, President Akufo Addo, addressing journalists at the seat of government in his yearly presidential encounter with the media said; “I prefer drones flying to deliver essential medicines to our people that an investment in guinea fowls that allegedly fly to Burkina Faso any trace.” 

SADA's Guinea Fowl

In 2009, the then NDC government launched the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA); a programme meant to accelerate development in some of Ghana’s poor Regions.

Through the programme, government promised to put GH¢200 million as seed money to develop the aforementioned areas and also to put infrastructures in place to attract investors.

But later, Joy News investigations by Manasseh Azure in 2014, revealed massive rot at the Authority which had become a vehicle for severe mismanagement.

Further investigations by the Auditor-General confirmed that government wasted GH¢48 million into a Guinea Fowl rearing and Tree Planting projects.

There are no Guinea fowls to show for the investment and there was no value for money for the tree planting project.