The Minister for Roads and Highways, Kwame Governs Agbodza, has declared that contractors who fail to complete ongoing road projects should not expect to be awarded new government contracts, as the Ministry moves to enforce greater accountability in project delivery.
According to the Minister, contractors must first demonstrate the capacity to execute and complete existing projects before being considered for additional road contracts.
Speaking during an inspection of the upgrading of the Nkwanta–Oti–Damanko Road, being undertaken by China Jiangxi Engineering Ghana Limited, Mr Agbodza expressed concern over the slow pace of work on both lots of the project, attributing the delays to inadequate deployment of equipment, personnel and other resources.
He criticised some contractors for reducing investment at project sites despite government honouring its payment obligations for certified works.
“They are working, but it’s slow. You can tell obviously that you don’t have capacity on site; you said there’s a team up there, but it’s just a small team working here. This is not enough; you are not investing enough in the project, and that is something we’re seeing with many of the contractors.
“They’re economising too much on having capacity on site, and it’s not good. We don’t owe you money; your certificate is going through a system before it gets to me. So we don’t see why you are not working. Until contractors execute major projects, we should not give them new projects,” he said.
The Minister urged contractors to increase investment in their ongoing projects by deploying adequate machinery, manpower and other resources to improve the pace and quality of work.
He stressed that government has fulfilled its responsibility by processing payments for certified works and expects contractors to reciprocate by meeting agreed timelines and delivering value for money.
