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27.05.2016 Politics

Scale-up projects monitoring to ensure value for money

27.05.2016 LISTEN
By GNA

By Simon Adu, GNA
Nkoranza (BA), May 27, GNA - Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) have been asked to effectively supervise projects awarded on contract to make sure that there is value for money.

Mr. Adu Sarkodie Gyekye, an official of the Ghana's Strengthening Accountability Mechanisms (GHSAM) Project, said they should go to every length to satisfy themselves that the appropriate materials and in the right quantities were used by the contractors.

He was addressing a day's forum on the audit performance report on capital projects carried out by the Nkoranza South Municipal Assembly.

The audit, undertaken by Ghana Audit Service (GAS), rated the performance of the assembly as average, scoring 48 per cent.

The exercise involved finding the extent to which the assembly complied with laid down procedures in its contract awards and engagement with the beneficiary communities.

This formed part of the GHSAM Project, being funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and aimed at improving projects' implementation by the assemblies.

The forum was organized jointly by the Women Integrated Development Organization (WIDO) and Care International, a humanitarian NGO fighting global poverty and brought together more than 60 participants.

Mr. Gyekye noted that the assemblies had been spending in excess of 70 per cent of their revenue on capital projects and that was why they should show keen interest and closely monitor the execution of these projects.

This was important to prevent financial resources going to the waste, he added.

He again expressed concern about the situation were projects were wrongly sited and left unused because of the non-involvement of the beneficiary communities in the planning process.

Mr. Kplorm Dovlo of the GAS said performance audit on school projects at Grumakrom and Dotobaa in the municipality, revealed that the contract specifications were not met.

The roofing boards and sheets for the construction were sub-standard and there were additional defects on the buildings.

Mr. Edward Fidiglo, the Municipal Coordinating Director, said corrective measures would be put in place to avoid the repeat of identified shortcomings. GNA

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