Dr. Stephen Opuni and Alhaji Innusah Fuseini during the road inspection tour
TWO CONTRACTORS engaged by government to construct different Cocoa Road projects, are in dire trouble.
This follows the third and final caution issued to them to speed up the project or have their contracts terminated.
They include Facol Ghana Ltd, who has been engaged by the COCOBOD to construct a 24-kilometer road from Obuasi to Dunkwa-on-Offin.
The second contactor, Ussuya Ghana Ltd, is in charge of the construction of an eight kilometer road from Dunkwa-on-Offin to Ayamfuri.
Dr. Stephen Opuni, CEO of COCOBOD, in an inspection tour of the project voiced his concern about the snail-pace of work being done by the two contractors.
He consequently issued a one-month ultimatum to them to live up to expectation or risk having their contracts terminated.
Dr. Opuni was accompanied by the Minister of Road and Highways, Alhaji Innusah Fuseini and other top officials of COCOBOD during the tour.
The COCOBOD CEO said he was highly impressed about the quality of work being done by Ussuya Ltd, but complained about the slow pace of work.
According to him, mobilization for the Obuasi to Dunkwa-on-Offin road was paid after the contract was signed in April 2015.
Dr. Opuni said the contractor delayed for three months before moving to site, a development, which he believed had resulted in the coverage of the few kilometers.
By the terms of the contract, he elucidated, Ussuya should have covered 77 percent of the work by now but sadly only 48 percent had been covered.
Dr. Opuni said Facol Ghana Ltd received its mobilization fee in January 2016 and was expected to have done 30 percent of work but only 10 percent had been done.
Government, according to him, had paid both contractors on time to expedite the completion of the projects but was surprised about what they have done so far.
Minister of Roads and Highways, Alhaji Inusah Fuseini said the inspection was necessitated by people’s complaints that the road was being delayed.
Alhaji Yussif Yakubu, CEO, Ussuya Ltd, promised to finish the project on time, explaining that he had to fill the road with quality compact material, thus the delay.
FROM I.F. Joe Awuah Jnr., Kumasi