Blame engineers for shoddy works by road contractors — Board Chairman of GHA

The Technical Advisor of the Mining Sector Roads Rehabilitation Secretariat, Ing. Dr. Francis Acheampong, has asked Ghanaians to blame engineers for shoddy works done by road constructors.

He explained that proper pre-qualification scrutiny is done before a contract is awarded to a contractor, but, the inability of engineers to do proper supervision for contractors to use proper materials is not done.

Therefore, contractors do not adhere to the right specifications to make the roads durable.

Ing. Dr. Acheampong, who is also the Board Chairman of the Ghana Highways Authority (GHA) made the remarks at a stakeholder's engagement meeting with the Municipal Chief Executive of Prestea Huni-Valley and some officials of the assembly as part of stakeholders engagement on the implementation of road projects in mining enclaves.

He indicated that quality road network are very critical in connecting cities and towns, facilitating trade, attract and retaining investments, hence the decision and commitment of the President and the mining industries to establish the secretariat to work to ensure all the road network in the mining enclaves are rehabilitated.

This, he said, would ensure more investments.

He urges road contractors to prioritize quality to reduce the financial burden on the government due to shoddy works.

The rehabilitation and advancement of the mining enclaves roads in the six regions would ease the challenges of travellers and farmers and also boost the socio-economic activities of those areas and the country at large.

The Takoradi-Tarkwa road which is set to begin soon is a major trunk road for transporting export commodities such as timber, cocoa, manganese, bauxite and other foodstuffs to the Takoradi Harbour and other parts in the country.

The Coordinator of the Mining Sector Roads Rehabilitation Secretariat, Frank Felix E. Akoto Awah, in an interview entreated the communities to have hope and confidence in the secretariat.

He noted that they are committed to the task and would work to develop the mining enclaves across the country.

He added that the secretariat has the duty to work to ensure the vision of President Akufo-Addo and the Western Regional Minister Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah to see to the advancement road infrastructure in the mining enclaves are well addressed.

The Municipal Chief Executive of Prestea Huni-Valley, Dr. Isaac Dasmani, appealed to the secretariat to fast -track the processes and hit the ground to commence work.

According to him, there is a lot of pressure from the communities to fix the roads in the area.

He indicated that the Bogoso-Prestea road needs to be fixed by the end of September this year.

The MCE stressed that the assembly does not have the resources and capacity to fix the major roads.

However the artisan roads within the community would be fixed with the little resources the assembly has.

Members of the Secretariat include; the Coordinator, Mr Frank Felix E. Akoto Awah, the Board Chairman of the Ghana Highways Authority and Technical Advisor of the Mining Sector Roads Rehabilitation Secretariat, Ing. Dr. Francis Acheampong and the Legal Advisor of the Committee, Alhaji Farouk Seidu.