Under-performing road contractors risk contract cancellation

Alhaji Inusah Fuseini, the Minister of Roads and Highways, has warned under-performing cocoa road contractors to speed up work or risk the termination of their contracts.

The Minister expressed worry about the incessant delay by some contractors working on some of the cocoa growing community roads, saying the Dunkwa Town roads and the Obuasi Junction to Dunkwa roads were woefully behind schedule.

Alhaji Fuseini gave the warning when his team and management of COCOBOD, headed the Chief Executive Dr Stephen Opuni, embarked on a two- day inspection of cocoa roads in the Central and Ashanti regions to find out the level of work along the stretch.

Dr Opuni had earlier inspected some of the cocoa roads in the Ashanti Region and warned under-performing contractors to speed up the work.

The Minister said there were no justifiable reasons for the delay and that some of the contractors had confessed they reported to work five months after they received advance mobilization.

He commended contractors who have worked satisfactorily and urged those who were lagging to double their efforts to meet the required deadline.

Mr Opuni said the project played a vital role in the carting of cocoa and other foodstuff from the farming communities to the commercial centres.

He said the construction of the roads would reduce the perennial post–harvest losses and breakdown of vehicles transporting the goods.

The roads in the cocoa growing communities are part of those the COCOBOD had earmarked to rehabilitate at a cost of 150 million dollars.

The Kasoa bypass, Mankessim-Abura Dunkwa, Assin-Twifo Praso, Essiam Town roads and the Breman Asikuma-Amanfopong road are but a few of the ongoing works to improve roads in the Central Region.

Source: GNA