COCOBOD threatens to terminate two contractors working on cocoa roads
Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) has given a one-month ultimatum to two contractors -Facol Ghana Limited and Ussuya Ghana Limited- working on the Obuasi-Dunkwa-on-Offin and Ayamfuri cocoa roads to live up to expectation otherwise their contracts would be terminated.
Advertisement
The Chief Executive of COCOBOD, Dr Stephen Kwabena Opuni, expressed concern about the slow pace of work being executed by the two contractors.
He gave the ultimatum while in the company of the Minister of Roads and Highways, Alhaji Innusah Fuseini, during the inspection of cocoa roads being funded by COCOBOD to facilitate the transportation of cocoa and provide good quality roads to cocoa growing communities.
Facol Ghana Limited is constructing the 24-km road from Obuasi to Dunkwa-on-Offin, while Ussuya Ghana Limited is executing the eight kilometre road from Dunkwa-on-Offin to Ayamfuri.
Though Dr Opuni was unhappy about the progress of work by the two contractors, he described the few kilometres of road constructed by Ussuya as “excellent and very good.”
Ussuya Ghana Limited
Expressing his concerns, Dr Opuni said the contract for the 24-km road from Obuasi to Dunkwa-on-Offin was signed in April, 2015, and the contractor was paid mobilisation fees but he delayed about three months before moving to site.
He said by the terms of the contract, Ussuya should have done about 77 per cent of the work but had done only 48 per cent, and discounted claims by the contractor that it needed to wait for the utility lines in Dunkwa town to be relocated.
He said the contractor had been issued with two warning letters and that the board would issue the third and final warning letter, and if the contractor did not make up for the shortfall within a month, the contract would be terminated.
“I am told you are one of the best contractors in the country. What you have done already and applied bitumen is excellent but the fact that you have delayed unduly, we are going to give you the third and final warning letter,” Dr Opuni added.
Facol Ghana Limited
Regarding Facol Ghana Limited, Dr Opuni said the company was given mobilisation fee in January, 2016, and had received two warning letters and would also be receiving the third and final warning letter because the contractor should have done 30 per cent of the work but he had done only 10 per cent.
He said unlike other contracts, the government insisted that the contractors be paid on time so that cocoa farmers would be relieved of using bad roads.
Minister
The minister said the inspection was to verify complaints by people using the road and living close to it that the work had been delayed.
He urged the contractors to speed up work to bring relief to the road users and cocoa farmers.
The Chief Executive of Ussuya Ghana Limited, Alhaji Yussif Yakubu, attributed the problem to the need to fill the road with compact material that was of high quality.
He gave an assurance that he would work to make up for the shortfall.