Northern Region Minister, Salifu Saeed, has warned constructors against delivering a shoddy work for any of the 544 projects that have been earmarked for construction by the Northern Development Authority (NDA).

He said contractors who deliver a shoddy job will not be paid.

The projects are expected to be constructed within the next six months.

In 2017 the NDA profiled requests from some communities for projects deemed priorities.

The communities were drawn from the five regions of the north.

The 544 projects that will be constructed include bridges, roads, hospitals among others.

At a sod-cutting ceremony to commence work for a maternity ward at Gulahagu in Nyankpala in the Tolon District of the Northern Region, the Minister said the five regional coordinating councils within the north would support the NDA to ensure value for money on all the projects to be executed.

"We are not going to allow any contractor to do shoddy work. If we see shoddy work CEO don't pay them," he told the contractor.

"If the contractors want to be paid then they should work according to the guidelines of the project description," he reiterated

Mr Saeed said when that is done the projects would stand the test of time and serve generations yet unborn.

He said the various coordinating councils are working in partnership with the NDA to see how the NDA would serve as a development tool that would work with the communities to identify priority needs and help bring development to these areas.

The Minister commended the NDA for going through the needed procurement processes within a short period of time and profiling all the requests of the various communities across the five regions of the north for work to commence.

"You have settled on a lot of projects that will impact…the communities,” he said.

Mr Saeed said the $1 million promised each constituency is what the NDA CEO has put together to finance the projects for the communities.

He tasked the contractor to follow the guidelines on the prevention of COVID-19 by limiting the use of people and use more machines instead.

The Chief Executive Officer of the NDA, Dr Alhassan Sulemana Anamzoya, said in the coming weeks, communities within the northern region would see massive development.

He said the projects fall under the infrastructure for poverty eradication projects are meant to eradicate poverty in the beneficiary areas.

Dr Anamzoya said contractors are ready to build schools, boreholes, hospitals CHIPs compounds as part of the projects.

He said a lot has gone down to ensure the commencement of the projects.

He also urged the contractors to adhere to the six- month duration for the contracts and tasked them to produce quality work.

Another sod-cutting ceremony has been tabled Kalagu for the contraction of the Kalagu- Jeji bridge and road.