'Government will not tolerate shoddy work' – Kwame Agbodza

Correspondence from Volta Region

The Minister for Roads and Highways, Governs Kwame Agbodza, has warned contractors working on the government's Big Push project that poor-quality work will not be tolerated, stressing that firms that fail to meet required standards risk contract termination and exclusion from future projects.

The Minister issued the warning during an inspection tour of ongoing Big Push road projects in the Volta Region, where he said recent heavy rains had exposed weaknesses in the construction of some roads completed in previous years.

According to him, contractors must use the current phase of the programme to deliver durable roads with proper drainage systems capable of withstanding normal rainfall.

"The rains this year have exposed the way we used to do things in the past. It is an opportunity for us at this stage of the Big Push to make sure that we do the best quality of work," he said.

Agbodza explained that while rainfall is essential for the country's survival, roads must be constructed to withstand it.

"We must make sure the drains, the sizing of the drains, the compacting and everything are up to standard so that normal rainfall should not wash the road away. We cannot continue to blame the rains whenever roads fail," he stated.

The Minister said he was generally satisfied with the progress of works he inspected and expressed confidence that contractors working on some projects would complete them within schedule despite minor delays.

He cited the rehabilitation of the Antipoku-Asikuma Junction road as an example of improved contractor performance after government threatened to terminate the contract earlier this year.

According to him, the contractor had initially failed to mobilise workers to the site, prompting the ministry to issue an ultimatum.

"This project was one of the projects we threatened to terminate at the beginning of the year because initially there were no workers. We gave them a deadline and told them we would terminate the contract if they did not improve," he said.

Agbodza disclosed that following the warning, the contractor had exceeded expectations by progressing beyond the planned schedule.

"They were expected to achieve 30 percent of the work, but according to the Regional Director, they have completed about 40 percent. This shows they took our warning seriously and proved they can do the work."

The Minister stressed that government's warnings to contractors were not intended to victimise them but to ensure timely delivery of quality infrastructure.

"When we make these points, it is not because we hate or love any contractor more than another. We simply want them to work. Contractors across the country who continue to give excuses should know that their colleagues are working under the same economic conditions. The cost of materials and labour is the same, so the excuses will not wash," he said.

He warned that contractors who continue to underperform would be replaced.

"We have not forgotten those we warned months ago. If we return and you have not reached the required level of progress, there is always somebody available to continue the work," he added.

Agbodza further announced plans to tighten conditions for awarding future road contracts, saying companies would no longer receive new projects while existing contracts remain incomplete.

"As we said, under the next phase of Big Push, you cannot be sitting on unfinished jobs and be asking for new ones. Before any contractor gets another major project, they must demonstrate that they have completed and handed over projects already within their portfolio," he said.

He said the new policy would discourage contractors from taking on multiple projects without completing them.

Also speaking during the tour, the Volta Regional Minister, James Gunu, described the pace of road construction in the region as unacceptable and backed the Roads Minister's tough stance.

Gunu recalled inspecting the same road on two occasions last year with the Volta Regional House of Chiefs and later with Members of Parliament from the region, noting that little progress had been made.

"The story has been the same. If you go around the region and assess the performance of contractors, this is the worst performance we have seen so far with road construction," he said.

He expressed confidence that the measures announced by the Roads Minister would improve contractor performance and pledged his support for actions taken against companies that fail to meet expectations.

Gunu said the inspection team would return within two months to assess progress, adding that he would support whatever decision the Roads and Highways Minister takes if contractors fail to improve.