Contractors abandon road projects in Volta Region for non-payment

Correspondence from the Volta Region

Work on the rehabilitation of some roads in the Volta Region has been stalled for alleged non-payment of work done to contractors.

Contractors working on two of the three Klefe town roads which are all earmarked for upgrading as part of the government's 2020 Year of Roads initiative have abandoned the project.

The roads which are; Klefe First Town to Ziavi and Demate to Akrofu. These roads are deteriorating as loaded tipper trucks continue to ply them daily.

Work on these two roads started mid last year.

Speaking to GhanaWeb, Assemblyman for the Klefe Electoral Area, Raphael Worlasi Dogbey revealed that the contractor that was working on the Klefe First Town to Ziavi road abandoned the project due to financial constraints. This he got to know when he made a phone call to the contractor after he stopped coming to the site.

“Early this year, the contractor came and they started work. They were moving at a very fast pace but three-four months down the line, we realized that the project had slowed down... They have not been paid,” the Assemblyman stated.

The Assemblyman further revealed that the contractor came to the site for an inspection and left just after three days.

“…they came to site about three weeks ago for an inspection program but they left three days after arrival and ever since, they have not returned,” he added.

For the Demate to Akrofu road, the assemblyman indicated that the contractor also left the site due to financial challenges.

He added that he is not sure the contractor will ever return to the site to continue the project as he [contractor] left the site more than a year ago.

“The contractor left the site about a year ago and he has not returned. It is also due to lack of finance and he has not returned and we are not too sure if he would ever come back…” he said.

A resident, Aikins who is a National Service personnel and lives by the Demate to Akrofu road told GhanaWeb the situation is problematic.

“You say something about the road norr they will call you NDC man”, Aikins was quoted as saying in Nigeria’s Pidgin language.