Minister of Finance, Dr. Mohammed Amin Adam
The Chamber of Construction Industry is calling for transparency from the government regarding the alleged payment of GH¢49 billion to some unknown road contractors.
The claim, which Finance Minister Dr Mohammed Amin Adam made at a press briefing on May 24, 2024, has been met with skepticism by the Chamber.
The Chamber contends that the government is in debt to them for approximately GH¢15 billion.
In an interview with Citi News, the CEO of the Chamber, Emmanuel Cherry, raised concerns over the whereabouts of the funds, noting the abandonment of several government-funded projects due to lack of payment.
The Chamber listed multiple stalled projects, including the Kwabenya-Brekuso stretch and the Nungua-Teshie drive, as evidence of the non-payment issue.
“We have donor-funded projects whose portfolios are quite high but to the best of my knowledge, almost all those projects have been abandoned by contractors.
“If you go to Kwabenya to Brekuso stretch, If you go on that road now you’ll see that nothing is happening, all because the contractor has not been paid. If you go to Nungua-Teshie Drive, you’ll see the contractor is not on site because he has not been paid.
“If you go to the Abossey Okai road construction site, you’ll see the contractor has moved from the site, he has not been paid if you go to Takoradi and Kumasi, same as most parts of the country,” he said.
The Chamber is urging the government to disclose the recipients of the GH¢49 billion and to account for the allocation and use of the funds, especially in light of the upcoming elections where such projects are often showcased.
“So if the government claims it has paid Ghc49 billion to contractors, who are these contractors he has purportedly paid, that they are not at the various sites for the continuation of this project, especially in an election year when the government needs those particular projects to campaign with…it’s outrageous,” he said.
ID/MA
