Mr Kwame Governs Agbodza, Minister of Road and Highways, has charged the contractor working on the Ofankor-Nsawam road project to speed up work to bring relief to motorists.
Work on the 33.4km road commenced in 2022 and was expected to be completed in July 2024 however, work slowed down in November 2024, with 75 per cent of work done.
Speaking to journalists during an inspection tour on Thursday, Mr Agbodza expressed his unhappiness about the progress of work.
While acknowledging the financial constraints faced by contractors working on various government road projects, the Minister urged the contractor to expedite work on the projects.
“I acknowledge that the majority of road contractors are having a crisis of not being paid because the volume of work that had been awarded without any sustainable source of funding is the issue. That is the bottom line,” the Minister said.
He added, “I agree every road is necessary, every single road that is under contract is necessary, but you know the corridor you are working on is a very critical one.
“You have to increase your activity on this corridor in good faith because surely we owe, and you will be paid.”
The Minister was accompanied by Mr Alhassan Suhuniyi, Deputy Minister of Roads and Highways, as well as directors of the ministry and the Ghana Highways Authority.
The Ofankor-Nsawam section of the National Route Six (N6) serves as a major arterial road for communities in the Ga West Municipal Assembly: Pokuase, Amasaman, Medie, Sarpeiman, among others.
It also serves as a vital link for trade between Ghana and its neighbouring landlocked countries – Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, and for transit cargo to move from the country’s ports to those destinations.
The project is funded by the Government of Ghana at a cost of GH¢341.48 million and being constructed by Maripoma Enterprise Limited, a local construction firm.
The Minister also inspected work on the 17km dualisation of a portion of the Tema-Aflao and the Tema Roundabout to Akosombo road projects, where he demanded similar actions to ensure their timely completion.
On the Tema-Aflao project, for instance, Mr Agbodza directed the contractor (BHM) to, as a matter of urgency, fix the defective portions of the stretch to make it motorable to users.
The £80.3 million project is funded through a UK-Ghana partnership.
On the Tema Motorway Roundabout to Akosombo project, Mr Agbodza urged the contractor to step up work to ease the burden of motorists.
He assured the contractor of the government’s commitment to help him clear the right of way to pave the way for the project’s second and third phases.
Also, he reiterated the government’s commitment to completing all ongoing road projects despite the current economic challenges.
“The President is committed to continuing and completing every ongoing project as long as the fiscal space and the financing of these projects can be made available by the Finance Minister.
“We all listened to the outcome of the Economic Forum yesterday. We are not in a good place financially. Despite that, we are committed to completing projects like this because it is another priority project,” he said.
Mr Mahama Abdulai, Project Manager for the Ofankor-Nsawam project attributed the slowed down of work to ongoing litigations, compensations and financial challenges and called on the Minister to help address them.
By Benjamin A. Commey, GNA.
