Ghana’s Agric Minister terminates AfDB-IFAD funded road project contract
Mr Kwesi Ahwoi , Minister of Food and Agriculture, on Sunday terminated a 13- kilometer feeder road being executed by Adam Mahama Co. Ltd.
The contractor incurred the wrath of the Minister during an evaluation tour to inspect road networks linking farming communities in the region, under the Northern Rural Growth Programme (NRGP) funded by IFAD and the African Development Bank Projects covering the three regions in the North and some parts of the Brong Ahafo.
The contract awarded in April 2011 and expected to have been completed in April 2012 had been abandoned with only 35 per cent of work done.
The contracts also involves the construction of 30 culverts, drainage and spot improvement construction on the Tilli–Widnaba road in the Bawku West District
Out of the 30 culverts and the spot improvement and drainage, the contractor had executed only 18 culverts, whilst the drainage constructed on some portions of the road were already broken and all approaches to the culverts had not been filled making it difficult for vehicles to ply the road.
At the time of the visit, the foreman and some workers were on site but there was no work going on. However, two major double culverts that linked the executed culverts had not been constructed.
Mr Ahwoi, who was in the company of Mr Roy Ayariga, National Coordinator, NRGP, expressed shock at the status of work and said no contractor had any excuse for failing to fulfill their work because they had been paid fully to execute the projects.
He said the call for these projects to be completed before the rain set in was to make farming communities accessible for farmers to transport their produce form the farms. He said these efforts were being thwarted because of the delay in executing the projects.
He called for the contract to be repackaged and given to serious contractors, who are ready to do the work.
Mr Samuel Banini, Bawku West District Feeder road Engineer, who gave the contract sum as GH¢921,610 said a follow up was made and warning letters issued to the company for the delay in getting the work done, but that was not heeded to.
According to him, out of GH¢184,000 mobilization funds given to the contractor, only GH¢80,000 had been paid by him. The mobilization fund, from Feeder roads is usually given to the contractor to start work until his contract money is paid him. It is interest free.
Source: GNA