Who received GH¢49bn? Construction Chamber questions govt claims

The Chamber of Construction Industry has challenged the government to disclose the names of contractors it claims to have paid GH¢49 billion.

During a press briefing on Friday, May 24, the Minister of Finance, Dr Mohammed Amin Adam, announced that the government had expended some GH¢49 billion to road contractors.

However, the Chamber disputes this claim, asserting that the government owes them around GH¢15 billion.

The Chamber expressed scepticism over the government’s claim, highlighting a significant discrepancy between the reported payments and the amount they are owed.

Emmanuel Cherry, the Chief Executive Officer of the Chamber of Construction Industry, questioned the actual beneficiaries of the GH¢49 billion in an interview with Citi News.

He pointed out that many government-funded projects have been abandoned by contractors due to non-payment.

Mr Cherry cited several examples of abandoned projects, including the Kwabenya-Brekuso stretch, Nungua-Teshie drive, Abossey Okai road construction site, and Takoradi and Kumasi roads, among others.

He stated that if the government has indeed paid out GH¢49 billion to contractors, it would be difficult to explain why those contractors are not at their respective sites to continue work on the projects.

The Association is demanding transparency on the payment of the GH¢49 billion and also called on the government to reveal the names of the contractors who have received payment.

The association also wants to know how the funds were allocated and whether they were used for their intended purpose.

“We have donor-funded projects that their portfolios are quite high but to the best of my knowledge, almost all those projects have been abandoned by contractors as we speak. If you go to Kwabenya to Brekuso stretch, If you go on that road now you’ll see that there’s nothing happening, all because the contractor has not been paid. If you go to Nungua-Teshie Drive, you’ll see the contractor not on site because he has not been paid.”

“If you go to the Abossey Okai road construction site, you’ll see the contractor has moved from the site, he has not been paid if you go to Takoradi and Kumasi, same as most parts of the country.

“So if the government claims it has paid Ghc49 billion to contractors, who are these contractors he has purportedly paid, that they are not at the various sites for the continuation of this project, especially in an election year when the government needs those particular projects to campaign with…it’s outrageous.”