The government has drawn a firm line under its ambitious road development drive, warning that contractors who fail to deliver under the “Big Push” initiative risk having their contracts terminated.
Deputy Minister for Roads and Highways and Member of Parliament for Tamale North, Alhassan Suhuyini, says while the programme is gaining momentum nationwide, underperformance will not be tolerated.
Speaking on TV3’s Key Points, he underscored the administration’s commitment to both quality and speed.
“We are not toying with quality. We are not toying with pace,” he stated, signalling a tougher stance on contractors who fall short of expectations.
According to him, all projects awarded under the Big Push initiative are active, with contractors working at various stages.
He noted that some have already reached about 50 per cent completion, describing the overall progress as encouraging.
“There is no project that has been awarded under the Big Push that is not being pushed. Almost all contractors are on site,” he said, dismissing concerns about stalled works.
Suhuyini revealed that officials are no longer waiting until project completion to assess performance. Instead, contractors are being regularly summoned to account for their progress.
“These are not projects we award and leave. We invited contractors to give us updates on the progress of work,” he explained.
The Deputy Minister disclosed that warning letters have been issued to some contractors, with the threat of termination hanging over those who continue to underperform.
“Those that we had issues with; we even threatened to terminate some of those projects,” he said.
Suhuyini stressed that the government is determined to ensure that every cedi invested delivers tangible results within expected timelines.
He added that the commitment goes all the way to the top, with President John Dramani Mahama taking a direct interest in the projects and keen on seeing progress firsthand.
“The President himself wants to be on the field to see for himself how the contractors are working,” he noted.
