Pay Debts Owed Us – Contractors To Gov’t

The Association of Building and Civil Engineering Contractors of Ghana has called on the government to take pragmatic steps to honour its campaign promise pertaining to unpaid Ghanaian contractors.

The association in a press also requested to know the status of the $1.5 billion dollars loan contracted by the government of Ghana through GETFUND to pay contractors for works done.

The association demanded that Government respects the contractual provision for payments of interests on delayed payments for works executed by contractors.

A report by the parliamentary committee on roads and transport had shown that the government still owes road contractors more than GHc 3.69 billion for projects financed from the consolidated and roads fund.

Although the government has paid over GHc2.2 billion of the funds in arrears, the delay in settling the outstanding debt according to the contractors is affecting the construction industry.

Below is the full statement

PRESS RELEASE

DEMANDS ON GOVERNMENT ON THE TRUE STATE OF THE GHANAIAN CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

We, Members of the Association of Building and Civil Engineering Contractors of Ghana (ABCECG), having met for a two day capacity building on concrete technology at Forest Hotel and also deliberated extensively on the current state of the Ghanaian Construction Industry, under the theme: 'TOWARDS A QUALITY CONSTRUCTION WORKS IN GHANA; “ROLE OF THE GHANAIAN CONTRACTOR”', and under the following thematic areas and blue prints; Ghana Infrastructure Plan (GIP);Challenges to the Infrastructure Sector; Manifesto of the New Patriotic Party and Infrastructure; ABCECG and the Ghanaian Contractor and Capacity Building and Skills Development, have resolved as follows;

1. Government of Ghana takes pragmatic payment steps to honour its campaign promises pertaining to the unpaid Ghanaian contractors,
2. To know the status of the $1.5 billion loan contracted by the government of Ghana through GETFUND to pay contractors for works done?

• Government of Ghana should as a matter of urgency 'disband'/ scrapped the day light robbery inflicted/visited on unpaid Ghanaian Contractors by Fidelity Bank.

3. To know the status of the 3.5billion cedis loan contracted by Ghana government to pay road contractors for works done?
4. Government of Ghana respects the contractual provision for Payments of interests on delayed payments for works executed by contractors,
5. Government of Ghana directs that Retention Money Guarantees are included in the Public Procurement Authority's Standard Tender Documents for contract formation to enable contractors invest such monies in government bonds and instruments,

• Government of Ghana facilitates the improvement of access to finance and credit facility for construction projects as a result of confidence/interest lost in us contractors by the Financial sector (BANKS),
• Commend government of Ghana for measures announced in the State of the Nation Address to bridge the Housing deficit. But urges government to further engage the services of the Professional groups and Associations in dialogues towards this goal,

1. Local contractors should be made to play lead role the government housing projects announced in the State of the Nation Address,
2. Government of Ghana assists in reducing Construction costs by early PAYMENT for works done on time and as per the contract document,
3. The Association of Building and Civil Engineering Contractors of Ghana is ready to join the other six groups namely Vehicle and Asset Dealers Association of Ghana (VADAG), National Concerned Spare Parts Dealers Association, True Drivers Union, Concerned Drivers Association, Ghana Committed Drivers Association and Chamber of Petroleum Consumers to demonstrate against the Ghana government imposition of luxury vehicle tax on pick-ups, trucks etc.

The two day capacity building was a collaboration with MC-BAUCHEMIE and sponsored by CIMAF GHANA LIMITED. The capacity of the local contractors were built in the following areas;

1. Constituents of concrete;

• Types of cements and their unique selling points in Ghana,
• Aggregates types of cements, sources and their influence on concrete,
• Water and water demands on concrete,

2. Descriptive design of concrete EN 206-1;

• The content and requirement of EN 206-1,
• Exposure classes related to environmental actions: could be beneficial for specifies in Ghana.

3. Fresh concrete;

• Fresh concrete tests: some of the problems experienced at the site
• Focus on hot weather concreting,

4. Hardened concrete;
5. Focus on water tightness of concrete ;

• Admixtures and additive,
• Types and what the market offers,

6. The benefits of admixtures;
7. Cost and quality;
8. Strategies on how to achieve the best concrete quality at reduced costs.

Signed

1. PROSPER Y. LEDI

National President, ABCECG

Source: citinewsroom.com | Ghana