Local contractors advised to form partnerships to win big contracts

Ho, Nov. 27, GNA - Dr. Hannah L. Bissiw, Deputy Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, on Thursday advised building and civil contractors to form partnerships to be able to win big contracts. Addressing the third annual general meeting (AGM) of the National Association of Building and Civil Engineering Contractors of Ghana (ABCECG) in Ho, she assured them of government's partnership, but urged the members to trust each other and join forces to be able to win bigger donor funded contracts.

The Minister expressed worry about the inability of individual Ghanaian contractors to win big contracts due to their inadequate capacities, when it came to competing with their foreign counterparts. "Government's preference is the Ghanaian contractor and it will soon reinstate training programmes for members to build capacities," she said. Dr. Bissiw assured them of payment by government, adding that, they would have to put in professionally sound jobs and redeem their sinking image as a group.

She said government was losing confidence in them especially as many of them have become notorious for shoddy work and abandonment of sites, on collection of their mobilization funds.

Mr Joseph Amenowode, Volta Regional Minister urged the contractors to be fair and sincere with clients by executing projects on schedule and according to specification, so that clients would have value for money. Mr Kwame Afreh, National President of ABCECG called for an enactment on "Local Content" to bar foreign contractors from tendering for contracts below a threshold of GHC 500,000 for building projects, and GHC 20,000,000 for roads and civil engineering projects.

He appealed to the sector Ministry to liaise with ABCECG for purposes of monitoring projects, to ensure the observance of acceptable specifications and standards in contract execution. Mr Prosper Ledi, Volta Regional Chairman of ABCECG said major challenges confronting its members included delayed payments for contractors less interest, high tax regimes, high interest rates, lack of capacity building and preference for foreign companies and exhorted government to help resolve those challenges.