Government Conducts Roll Call Of Road Construction Companies

Government says it is compiling a list of road construction companies in the country. This was captured in a public announcement from the Roads and Highways Ministry.

“The Ministry of Roads and Highways wishes to inform the General Public that it is in the process of compiling names of prospective companies who have the expertise to undertake works in respect of the following activities: Road line marketing, construction of pedestrian guard rails, construction of crush barriers, maintenance of green areas, pot-hole patching and vegetation control,” the Ministry stated.

Interested companies, according to the Ministry, are to capture their details in a letter addressed to the Chief Director of the Ministry before September 30, 2017.

The Ministry said the letter must be attached with (where applicable) “equipment holding, key personnel, company’s certificate of incorporation, [and] operational location (Region).”

Bad roads in Ghana

This comes on the back of several protests staged by some Ghanaians in different parts of the country over the deplorable nature of their roads.
Mahama gov’t left GHc11.6bn debt at Roads Ministry.

Deputy Minister of Roads, Anthony Karbo, had earlier disclosed that government’s inability to fully embark on road projects is as a result of the huge debt left behind by the Mahama administration.
According to him, the previous administration left close to GH¢ 11.6 billion debt at the Ministry.

“The debt overhang in the Ministry is huge; close to GH¢ 11.6 billion in commitments, all contracts put together, and that is big,” Karbo added.
He further indicated that, the Ministry only receives GH¢ 1.2 billion from the Road Fund every year, adding that due to the relatively low amount they receive annually, the Ministry is considering other sources of funding for road projects.

‘Road fund coffers empty’

A Deputy Minister of Roads, Kwabena Owusu Aduom, had also earlier stated that, the Ghana Road Fund is depleted such that it will take about 10 years to pay for already awarded contracts.

According to the Deputy Minister, the situation was worsened by the former government’s decision to award numerous road contracts in the last quarter of its administration.