The Ablekuma West Municipal Assembly is to revive a stalled maternity block at the Dansoman Polyclinic and expand it into a specialised children’s hospital, with completion expected within 12 months after work resumes.
The Head of Works of the Assembly, Eric Nyame, announced this during a field inspection of petroleum-funded projects by the Public Interest and Accountability Committee (PIAC) in the municipality last Monday.
He said the assembly intended to use its Common Fund to restart the project, which began in 2018 but stalled in 2020 due to funding constraints, and expand the facility to provide specialised health care for children in Dansoman and neighbouring communities.
“We want to expand the facility into a specialised children’s hospital so that it can serve not only Dansoman but also neighbouring communities,” he told the Daily Graphic.
Mr Nyame said the project was expected to be completed within 12 months after work resumed, adding that the Assembly was working towards securing the necessary resources to facilitate construction.
Funding, encroachment
He identified inadequate funding and encroachment on the project site as the two major challenges delaying the completion of the facility.
Mr Nyame explained that the assembly had engaged representatives of mechanics occupying the space in front of the unfinished structure to facilitate their relocation and allow construction to resume.
However, he said the mechanics had demanded compensation before vacating the area, complicating efforts to reclaim the site.
He said the assembly was considering the necessary steps to address the situation and make the site available for construction.
Mr Nyame added that the previous contractor had been paid the retention money and other outstanding amounts to enable him to leave the project site and pave the way for the next phase of work.
The inspection, led by a PIAC member, Mr Christopher Opoku Nyarko, covered several projects funded with petroleum revenues in the Ablekuma West Municipality, including road construction and rehabilitation works, drainage infrastructure and sea defence works from Glefe to Shiabu.
The exercise was intended to assess the progress of the projects, identify challenges affecting their implementation and promote accountability in the utilisation of petroleum revenues under the Petroleum Revenue Management Act, 2011 (Act 815).
Mr Nyarko said the inspection was to ensure that projects funded with petroleum revenues were implemented as planned and delivered the expected benefits to communities.
“We are here to assess the progress of these projects, identify the challenges affecting their completion and ensure that petroleum revenues are used for their intended purpose,” he said.
The inspection revealed that while some infrastructure projects had been completed, others remained unfinished due to funding constraints and delays.
Drainage works delayed
One of the projects inspected was a storm drain behind Alpha Beta School, where an estimated 200-metre section remained unfinished because of inadequate funding.
r Nyame said the assembly intended to make provision in its budget to complete the outstanding works.
He said management would seek a budgetary allocation for the project in 2027, with 2028 as an alternative, explaining that the original contract could not cover all the required works because of insufficient funds.
