The Minister for Roads and Highways, Governs Kwame Agbodza, says this year's heavy rains are exposing the quality of road construction across the country, urging contractors on the Big Push projects to construct proper drainage systems to protect the roads.

Speaking during a monitoring tour of ongoing Big Push road projects in the Volta Region, Mr Agbodza stressed that roads must be designed with adequate drainage infrastructure to channel floodwaters effectively and prevent premature deterioration.

"The rains this year have exposed the way we used to do things in the past," he said.

Mr Agbodza noted that rainfall should not be viewed as an unfortunate event but rather as a natural occurrence that road infrastructure must be built to withstand.

He said contractors have a responsibility to ensure that every aspect of road construction, from drainage design to earthworks and compaction, is executed to specification.

The minister therefore urged contractors to ensure that drainage channels are properly designed and sized to accommodate stormwater while ensuring that compaction and other engineering standards are not compromised.

"So we make sure the drains, the sizing of the drains, the compaction—everything is up to standard, so that normal rainfall should not wash away our roads and leave us with excuses simply because it has rained," he added.

Despite the caution, Mr Agbodza expressed satisfaction with the progress of some of the projects inspected, saying he was confident the contractors would complete the remaining works within schedule.

Dwawill contractor turns project around after termination threat

The minister revealed that one of the projects inspected, the rehabilitation of the Atimpoku–Asikuma Junction road, being undertaken by Dwawill Limited, had earlier been earmarked for contract termination because of its poor pace of work.

According to him, the contractor was issued with an ultimatum after failing to make satisfactory progress at the beginning of the year.

"This project was one of the projects we threatened to terminate at the beginning of the year because initially they were not working, and we gave them a deadline and told them that we'd terminate," Mr Agbodza disclosed.

He said officials of the contracting firm were subsequently summoned to the ministry and warned that the contract would be terminated unless work improved significantly.

The warning, he noted, produced the desired results.

"According to the regional director, they have backed up and have gone ahead of schedule. They were supposed to do 30 percent; they have done about 40 percent," he said.

Mr Agbodza explained that the ministry's tough approach towards contractors should not be interpreted as victimisation or favouritism, but rather as part of efforts to ensure that public infrastructure projects are delivered on time and to the expected quality.

"So sometimes when we make the point, it's not as if we hate or love some contractor more than the other. We just want them to work," he said.

He commended Dwawill Limited for responding positively to the ministry's intervention, describing the company's turnaround as proof that contractors can meet expectations when they commit the necessary resources.

"This contractor took our admonition very seriously and has proven that they can do the work," he stated.

The minister used the occasion to issue a strong warning to contractors across the country, stressing that the government would no longer entertain excuses for delays in project execution.

He said all contractors operate under the same economic conditions and should therefore be able to deliver their projects if they manage their resources efficiently.

"Your colleagues are working. We are in the same country. The cost of materials and the cost of labour here are not different from where you are. So your excuses will not wash," Mr Agbodza warned.

He reminded contractors who had previously been cautioned over poor performance that the ministry had not forgotten its earlier warnings and would soon assess whether they had improved.

The Roads Minister reiterated that the government would not hesitate to replace contractors who continue to underperform.

"If we return and you have not reached where we are asking you to reach, there's always somebody available to continue," he warned.

He added that the progress made by Dwawill Limited demonstrates that contractors can turn around struggling projects if they take the ministry's directives seriously.

"This contractor has proven that our review of the project and our verdict were taken seriously, and they have moved upward," he said.

No new contracts for contractors with unfinished projects

Mr Agbodza further announced that the government intends to tighten the award of road contracts by preventing contractors from taking on new projects before completing existing ones.

He said the next phase of the Big Push programme will introduce stricter measures to improve project delivery and eliminate the practice of contractors accepting multiple contracts while making little progress on each.

"As we said, in the next phase of Big Push, you can't be sitting on some jobs and be asking for a new one," he said.

Minister, according to the Minister, the Roads Ministry is considering making the successful completion and handover of ongoing projects a mandatory requirement before any contractor can be awarded another major government contract.

"In fact, we are even considering that before any contractor gets any major project, we must show that he's completed and handed over another project within the portfolio," he stated.

Mr Agbodza criticised the practice of contractors spreading their resources across numerous projects without delivering tangible progress.

"No more contractor binging on a job and then taking it, just touching here and there," he said.

He explained that the proposed policy is intended to improve accountability, ensure the timely completion of road projects, and maximise value for public investment.

"From now on, all major contractors, once you are working, must complete a major project within your portfolio, hand over before you get another one. That is the new thing we are coming to do now," he said.

The minister noted that contractors currently undertaking projects under the Big Push initiative have an opportunity to prove their capacity by completing ongoing works before seeking additional government contracts.