The Ghana Chamber of Construction Industry has urged the Ministry of Roads and Highways to release at least GH¢2 billion to compensate road contractors for their completed projects.
It acknowledged that allocating GH¢150 million for engaging and compensating road contractors addressing potholes nationwide is a positive step. However, the Chamber emphasised that this amount is far below the GH¢15 billion owed to its members.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Chamber, Emmanuel Cheery in an interview with Daily Graphic stated that the government’s allocation of GH¢150 million was woefully inadequate to address the pothole situation in Accra, not to mention the entire country.
“In as much as we commend the government for releasing such an amount, we are pleading that the money should be increased in view of the nature of the work,” Mr Cheery said.
He added that the funds were insufficient for the task, particularly as some of the potholes had transformed into manholes and gullies due to months of neglect.
“They are manholes and some of them are gullies.
“If they were to be these normal potholes that we see, they could be treated differently, but the current ones have been left unattended to for so long and so they have deteriorated into manholes and gullies,” the CEO emphasised.
His comment comes after the Ministry of Roads and Highways announced allocating some GH¢150 million for fixing potholes across the country.
In a press release, the Ministry stated that taking advantage of the dry season, the Department of Urban Roads would commence routine pothole patching activities on major roads.
The Ministry aims to reduce the risk of accidents and prolong the lifespan of our road infrastructure through this exercise.
On the back of this, Mr Cherry expressed optimism that the minister-designate for Roads and Highways would heed the concerns of the public and industry stakeholders, releasing additional funds for road construction.
He also urged the government to make an effort to clear its debt to contractors, which amounted to over GH¢15 billion.
