Funding being made available for cocoa roads contractors

The government has said contractors are being supplied funds to resume work on various cocoa road projects.

The Akufo-Addo administration suspended the projects in 2017 for an audit following corruption concerns.

The Mahama administration was among other things, accused of awarding over 230 different road contracts to the tune of GHC3.5 billion under the project, to the detriment of the Ghana Cocoa Boards’ finances.

According to Information Minister, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, who addressed the press on Sunday, some contracts have been terminated after the audit.

Others have been handed over to the Ghana Highways Authority and the Department of Urban Roads to “fully fund and execute them.”

“Funding is now being made available for the commencement of the cocoa roads with the assurance that contractors can actually be paid for works that they have been doing.”
“Other road projects as funded through the central government budget and other road funds are expected to pick up later in the year. These, among others, include the famous LEKMA roads and others which have already been given to contractors who are mobilising to site.”

Government indebtedness to contractors has been a recurrent challenge in the execution of road projects over the years.

In May, a similar announcement was made with the Minister for Roads and Highways, Kwasi Amoako Attah, saying the resumption of the suspended road projects followed the government’s directive to the Finance Ministry to release funds to settle debt owed contractors.

He said about $1 billion had been earmarked for outstanding payments.