Dr. Richard Ampofo Boadu
GETFund will begin the clearing of outstanding certificates of its contractors this year, following the approval of a total of GH¢3,935,780,000 by Parliament for the financing of educational programmes typically geared towards the completion of 3,606 projects across the country.
Out of the amount, 67 percent, representing GH¢2.645 billion had been earmarked for the completion of uncompleted but stalled projects.
This was announced by the Administrator of the GETFund, Dr. Richard Ampofo Boadu, when he engaged journalists and explained that the remaining GH¢1,290,780,000 of the approved amount would focus on scholarships, furniture supplies, budgetary support for all the agencies under the Ministry of Education, among others.
According to him, those arrears would cover payment certificates for works executed to date on various educational infrastructure types at all levels of education.
He further expressed appreciation to Parliament, and added that the objective of the Board of Trustees of the Fund was to complete as many of these initiated projects as possible this year.
Dr. Boadu explained that per the distribution formula, all awarding institutions and the tertiary institutions were to reactivate the construction phase of all stalled projects under their respective areas of jurisdiction.
Projects
The projects are administration/library blocks, assembly halls, auditoriums, classroom blocks, dining halls, dormitory/hostels, E-Block, kindergarten blocks, lecture halls, model schools, sanitary facilities, staff accommodations, and other projects.
The total number of projects earmarked for completion have the breakdown as follows; 1,835 are at the basic level, 65 E-Blocks, nine model SHS, 1,347 SHS, 347 tertiary, and three of the TVET category.
Regional Distribution
The Ashanti Region has the highest number of 638 projects followed by the Central Region with 495, while 458 of them will be completed in the Eastern Region.
The Greater Accra and the Volta regions will welcome 312 and 286 newly completed projects respectively, while the Bono Region will be a beneficiary of 232 projects, and the Upper East and Western regions will receive 198 and 197 newly completed projects respectively.
The Upper West and Northern regions will have 166 and 161 new projects respectively completed by the end of the year, while Bono East, Oti, Western North, and Ahafo regions will each receive 103, 100, 93, and 76 new projects respectively.
The North East and the Savannah regions will complete the list with 56 and 35 newly completed projects respectively.
BY Daniel Bampoe