‘Ensure proper supervision of govt’s projects’
The Ministry of Water Resources, Works and Housing has called on the Architectural and Engineering Services Limited (AESL) to ensure the proper supervision of government’s infrastructural projects.
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Speaking at the fourth annual general meeting of the company in Accra, Mr Samson Ahi, a Deputy Minister, said the attention of the government had been drawn to poorly executed government projects nationwide, owing to lax supervision.
He said the company, as a government institution, needed to ensure that all government projects received value for the funds allocated.
“That will restore the confidence the public has lost in the company to ensure that it is engaged more by the government and the private sector to help it enhance its revenue generation,” he added.
Mr Ahi noted that the 2013 fiscal year posed enormous challenges making it difficult for the government to meet all its development goals.
He, however, commended the board and management of AESL for being able to develop and implement strategies which resulted in a moderate achievement for the organisation in 2013.
“The Ministry of Water Resources Works and Housing, mandated to have oversight responsibility over the AESL will continue to support it to grow and assume its right footing,” he pledged.
Mr Ahi said as part of the support for the company, the sector ministry had involved the AESL in intervention measures at addressing the current 1.7 million national housing deficit.
The company is currently supervising the Wa affordable housing project and the Tema security services housing project.
2013 performance
Presenting the operational performance of AESL for 2013, the Managing Director of the company, Mr Louis Satchmo Atongo, said the company could neither meet its revenue target of GH¢11.1 million nor that of profit after tax target of GH¢1.7 million.
According to him, the income of the company fell from GH¢10.4 in 2012 to GH¢9.6 Million in 2013 while its profit after tax also dropped from GH¢1.7 Million in 2012 to GH¢0.82 million in 2013.
Mr Atongo said various challenges in 2013, adversely affected the construction industry, resulting in slacks on development projects, both new and on-going.
The company, he said, therefore acquired 101 new projects nationwide as against 294 in 2012.
Capacity building
Mr Atongo said management did not overlook the need to maintain a highly skilled and motivated workforce, for which reason it intensified training and the development of personnel, during the period under review.
He said the company would continue to collaborate with professional bodies and associations, to enhance the skills of staff, to meet the challenges in the Industry.
According to him, consultancy fees had remained the main source of revenue for the company, and any drop in growth for any period, often affected the company’s operations.
During the year under review, the company targeted consultancy fee of GH¢10.72 million. However, by the close of the year an amount of GHC9, 109,191 had been earned.
Mr Atongo expressed the company’s commitment to intensify efforts at increasing revenue to augment its other sources of funds.