The Minister for Roads and Highways, Kwame Governs Agbodza, has expressed strong displeasure with the pace of work by Rango Construction Company Limited on the Bolgatanga–Bawku Road project, warning that the contractor risks being replaced if it fails to return to full activity.
Speaking during the second day of his inspection tour of road projects along the Eastern Corridor, Mr Agbodza said he was disappointed that work had slowed considerably despite previous assurances that the contractor had returned to site following an earlier visit by the President.
He questioned why the contractor had failed to sustain its level of activity and insisted that there was no justification for the delays, particularly as the project had been prioritised under the government’s Big Push programme.
“When I leave here and you and your team leave the site, don’t come back because you will come back to see another contractor here,” he cautioned.
The Minister gave the contractor one week to mobilise and demonstrate activity on the bridge component of the project, while demanding that within two weeks, work should be visibly progressing across the various sections. He also said the contractor had committed to completing the temporary road section within the next one and a half weeks to allow traffic to be switched.
Mr Agbodza stressed that funding was no longer an excuse for the project’s slow progress, explaining that the government had secured financing for the project under the Big Push initiative.
He further directed the Ghana Highway Authority to provide weekly progress reports, adding that the Ministry would also rely on feedback from residents to independently assess the contractor’s performance.
The Minister acknowledged growing frustration among residents over the prolonged delay, noting that the project had been outstanding for years and that dust from the poor road conditions had become a major concern for surrounding communities. He said the government was determined to break what he described as a longstanding cycle of delays affecting the Bolgatanga–Bawku road project.
Mr Agbodza also urged engineers and supervising officials to be firm in enforcing contractual obligations, stressing that no contractor should be allowed to operate without accountability.
Story by : Belinda Anim-Piesie
