The Parliamentary Select Committee on Local Government paid a working visit to Damongo, the Savannah regional capital to inspect the state of construction work on the Savannah Regional Coordinating Council administration block and it’s related challenges.
Hon. Suleman Adamu Sanid, MP for Ahafo Ano North Constituency in the Ashanti region and Vice Chairperson for Parliamentary Select Committee on Local Government, who led the team to Damongo, commended the construction firm, Dagbene Borns construction firm for a job well done despite the challenges and urged the firm to complete the construction of the Savannah Regional Coordinating Council (SRCC) administration block within the three (3) months extended period and hand over the structure to government.
The three (3) storey 1-no. structure was awarded on 14th October, 2019, and site possession took place on 11th November, 2019.
The handing over should have been done in November 2020 but due to some challenges, a three month extension has been granted the contractor to complete work and hand over.
The contract sum is seventeen million, four hundred and ten thousand, five hundred and fourty five cedis, eighty three pesewas ( Ghc17, 410, 545.83).
Hon Sanid Sulemana said even though the challenges stated by the Zonal Coordinator, Charles Abachingsa were factual, the contractor, Dagbene Borns firm did a great job.
“We have inspected the details of the administrative structure and we are satisfied. They have done about 78% to completion.
We will do whatever we can to help the contractor finish the job in time. The government has given the firm three (3) months extention to finish the job due to some challenges such as land litigation, unavailability of quarry materials, among others.
Hon. Ibrahim Ahmed, MP for Banda Constituency in the Bono region, appealed to Ghanaian contructors to own projects awarded them. He said they should expedite action to gain the trust of government in order to gain more construction jobs.
Hon. Ahmed disclosed that when the government wanted to build six (6) new regional administrative structures for the newly created regions, there was competition. In the process, five (5) were awarded to local contractors and only one to a chines construction firm. The Chinese firm has finished it’s job that is being supervised by a local consultant but the local contractors are yet to finish. The foreign contractor finished before the 2021 budget was prepared.
He however said the local contractors have genuine reasons such as land litigation issues, unavailability of quarry materials, the contractor at Damongo for instance, needed to travel all the way to Kumasi for quarry materials because the Tuna site, located in the Sawla-Tuna-Kalba district was closed down.
He also urged constructors to leave a good legacy for future construction jobs from government. “They should deny themselves of self comfort and endure themselves in certain instances and finish on time.
The Chinese doesn’t attend funerals, no family engagement, no Salah celebrations. When they get jobs from government, they endure and motivate workers to complete the job in time, they mean business”.
The foreign firms motivate workers to go to work even on Christmas days, Sala days etc. Our local contractors must also motivate the workers to work harder so that in future if there are more constructions jobs, government can give it to the local contractors to enhance the local content.
“When we give construction works to the Foreigners, buy cars, mobile phones and others products from them, how can we create employment for our people?, he quizzed.
He appealed to local contractors to leave a positive legacy and mitigate the idea of making profit.
Hon. Ibrahim commended the Zonal Coordinator, Dagbene Borns construction firm, AESL and it’s engineers for good job done and urged them to handover the completed work to government of Ghana within the three (3) month extended time frame.
Hon. Albert Akuka Alalzuuga, MP for GARU Constituency, Upper East region, Hon. Dominic Napare, MP for SENE EAST Constituency, Bono East region were other members of the committee on 12th May, 2021.
The staff of the Savannah Regional Coordinating Council (SRCC) and West Gonja Municipality led the team to site.
