Gov't tasked to allocate resources for timely project completion


The Chairman of the Public Interests and Accountability Committee, (PIAC), Dr. Steve Manteaw has asked government to ensure that enough resources are allocated for projects to guarantee completion on schedule. 

He said monies that are given for oil revenue funded projects have in past been provided in droplets and this has not brought early completion of these projects as well as quality of work. 

Dr. Manteaw said authorities need to diligent assessment of how much will be required to complete a project and allocate that quantum of money into the project. 

He was speaking to Journalists after a tour of the reconstructed 56 kilometre Berlin -Sampa road in Jaman-North of the Brong Ahafo Region as part of PIAC'S monitoring exercise of oil revenue funded projects.

The monitoring of the oil revenue funded projects is a joint exercise by a team from PIAC and some members of the Institute of Financial and journalists and sponsored by GIZ. 

The team has already visited the Mim town roads. 

The reconstructed Berekum-Sampa road was started in May 2007 by Messrs J. Adom who is the contractor. 

Briefing journalists at the site the Brong Ahafo Regional Highways Director,Frederich Aduagyei said the contract sum was 41 point five million Ghana Cedis, with a revised amount of 46 point five million Ghana Cedis. 

The oil component was three point seven million Ghana Cedis. 
 
Mr. Aduagyei said the initial completion date was extended by 2012, but work stalled because of delays in payments to the contractor by government. 

This he said made the contractor to abandon work for the past two years leaving the road to  the vagaries of the weather and the heavy duty trucks plying that stretch of the road to Sampa the border town to Cote d'Ivoire.
 
Mr. Aduagyei said however, work on  the road is 74 percent complete. 

But a drive on the road to Sampa revealed a lot of pot holes indicating the level of deterioration and this comes with additional cost to the contractor and government. 
                       
The Chairman of PIAC, Dr. Steve Manteaw said  the Berekum-Sampa road is a major highway which links Ghana to Cote d'Ivoire and for that reason it should be given that priority to promote inter-regional trade. 

He said the quantum of oil revenue component of three point 680 million Ghana Cedis was inadequate for the road project.                        

Report filed by Teresa Atogiyire from Sampa

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