Gov’t Doles Out Over GHc1bn to Road Contractors – Minister

The Minister for Roads and Highways, Amoako Atta, has stated that, government has paid contractors a sum of over GHc1 billion to enable them resume work on stalled road projects across the country.

According to him, most ongoing road projects had stalled due to failure of the previous administration to pay contractors for work done between two to five years.

He said the ongoing disbursement will see most contractors return to site and speedily execute the road projects.

Mr. Amoako Atta disclosed this in Bolgatanga during a two-day working visit of President Nana Addo to the Upper East Region.

Mr. Amoako Atta, who could not come to terms with the deplorable state of road network in the country, quizzed the previous government on how loans procured to fix the road network in the country were expended.

He said contractors abandoned most road projects across the country because the previous government failed to pay them for work done, but the NPP government led by President Akufo-Addo has commenced disbursement of over GHC1 billion to road contractors to enable them resume work.

“Regrettably, we realized that, the total road network size of 72,000km of this country was in a deplorable state. Out of this, only 39 percent is considered motorable, but the rest is between fair and poor with greater proportion leaning towards poor, and you ask yourself, all the loans that we contracted where did the money go?”

“A lot of road projects were suspended because between two to five years, contractors in this country were not paid for even genuine jobs done. But I am happy to announce that, within a period of eight months, government has paid contractors a little over GHC1 billion and disbursements for both Government of Ghana (GoG) and Road Fund projects are currently going on” he said.

Mr. Amoako Atta assured the people of Upper East Region that, government is committed to ensuring that the region received a face-lift in road infrastructure.

“The Upper East Region has a total road size of 4,200km, and greater proportion of it fair or poor, but government is tackling it, and you can see that all the contracts that were abandoned for some time, the contractors are back working because government has paid them.”

Source: Citifmonline