The president of the Association of Building and Civil Engineering Contractors of Ghana (ABCECG) has said the Association will soon launch a Build Right Campaign.

Prosper Ledi said this is to sensitise its members and key stakeholders to ensure that all projects undertaken meet all requirements, including environmental sustainability.

Mr Ledi, who has been reelected to lead the Association for another three-year term, said the campaign will be one of the key programmes for his second term.

Complaints about shoddy jobs within the construction sector are common with various reasons being assigned.

The President of ABCECG intends to roll out a comprehensive Build Right campaign to address this issue holistically.

Speaking in an interview Mr Ledi, said building right was not solely the responsibility of the contractor but other key stakeholders including clients with government being the single largest client for many contractors.

He explained that the campaign will be a three-pronged approach, comprising building the capacity and sensitizing contractors, engaging government to find a sustainable way of awarding and honouring payments for contracts, and lastly, mounting a campaign for a friendlier business environment.

Providing details, Mr Ledi explained that the campaign will include training contractors and sensitising them on the need to ensure quality delivery of their projects and pay attention to sustainability elements in construction.

He said experts will be invited to build the capacity of contractors over a period of time. “Charity begins at home, so we’ll start with ourselves”, he emphasized.

The ABCECEG President also added that the Built Right Campaign will include engaging government to sanitize the award of contracts and prompt payment for projects executed.

He explained that the Build Right campaign will be fruitless if government continued to delay in honouring payments.

He said as part of the campaign, government will be engaged to develop a sustainable way of awarding and paying for executed contracts timeously.

“There are best practices even in other African countries that we can take and modify to suit our case in Ghana and end this canker once and for all”.

Mr Ledi lamented that several contractors are in serious financial difficulties because they are owed lots of money by government and urged government to clear the arrears quickly, as they work out a more sustainable way of addressing delayed payments permanently.

The Chairman of the Finance Committee in Parliament, Kweku Kwarteng, had on the Floor of Parliament reechoed complaints about hikes in the prices of construction-related products and services, calling for an investigation to determine the cause.

While supporting the call by Mr Kwarteng, a former Deputy Finance Minister, Mr Ledi noted that the third leg of the Built Right campaign will be to push for policies that will make the business climate better.

Buttressing his point, Mr Ledi said hikes in prices of materials used in construction could drive some contractors and even clients to cut corners.

He said a competitive price for building materials was therefore essential for a successful Build Right campaign.

He said the Association will work closely with the Private Enterprise Federation to lobby against policies that may lead to hikes in prices of goods.