The Minister for Roads and Highways, Governs Kwame Agbodza, has tasked Arab Contractors Ghana Limited to accelerate work on the Kumasi Outer Ring Road to ensure the project is completed within the scheduled timeframe.

Mr Agbodza expressed concern over the pace and nature of work currently being undertaken by the contractor, noting that activities appeared to be concentrated largely on earthworks.

The Minister made the remarks on Tuesday, September 29, during a tour of the project as part of efforts to assess progress on the project.

He urged the contractor to commence other aspects of the project, particularly concrete works, in areas where access was available.

“My concern is that it appears so far we've been seeing Arab Contractors doing basically earthworks. We strongly recommend that they begin to do other activities, especially concrete works,” he said.

The Minister explained that given the scale and complexity of the project, construction activities should not necessarily follow a linear sequence. Instead, the contractor should work simultaneously in different sections where access is available and return to restricted areas when they become accessible.

“A project of this magnitude is not going to be a straight line. It is going to be trying to work within zones that you have access to, so you have to jump and do those things,” he said.

According to him, such an approach would enable the contractor to maximise available working time and help reduce the existing gap in the project schedule.

Mr Agbodza said the scale of the Kumasi Outer Ring Road project presented challenges and learning opportunities for all stakeholders, describing it as an undertaking of a scale Ghana had not previously embarked upon at a particular time.

“Ghana has never embarked on any project of this scale before at a particular time. So there's a lot of learning for all of us to do,” he stated.

He acknowledged the difficulties associated with a project of such magnitude but stressed that the challenges should not prevent stakeholders from finding practical ways to keep the project moving.

The Minister further cautioned against unnecessary delays, saying the government did not intend to grant an extension of time for the project unless such an extension was properly justified.

“We don't intend to have an extension of time on this project, unless it is justified,” Mr Agbodza said.

He therefore urged the contractor to make maximum use of every available working day to accelerate construction and bring the project back on schedule.

“So every single opportunity we have in a day, let's utilise it so that we can close the gap we have currently,” he added.