The NDC Deputy Communications Officer for the Upper East Region, Benjamin Atuasi, says the contractor working on the Bolgatanga–Bawku–Pulmakom road has not abandoned the project and will remain on site until the work is completed.
His comments follow concerns that the Brazilian contractor, Queiroz Galvão MI, had withdrawn from the project, raising fresh concerns about the future of the long-delayed road. Speaking on A1 Radio’s Day Break Upper East, Mr. Atuasi said he and other officials were surprised to see reports on social media suggesting that the contractor had left the site.
He said they subsequently engaged the Director of Highways and the project consultant to establish what was happening and were assured that the contractor had not withdrawn from the project.
Mr. Atuasi said the presence or absence of trucks at the site should not be the sole basis for determining whether the contractor was still working on the project.
He explained that while some of the trucks that had been at the site before President John Mahama’s visit may have been moved, the human resources required for the project and the consultant remained engaged.
“The contractor has not left the site, and the contractor will not leave the site until the work is done,” Mr Atuasi said.
He said Link Consult, the Ghanaian firm serving as the project consultant, remained on site and was working to facilitate the continuation of the project. According to him, the contractor was also mobilising additional equipment and materials needed for the works, including iron rods which were being brought to the site.
Mr. Atuasi said the equipment previously seen at the project site was not sufficient to undertake all the remaining works, hence the need for the contractor to mobilise additional machinery and materials. He also said government had begun processes to settle outstanding payments owed the contractor.
Mr Atuasi put the outstanding amount at about US$228 million and said the contractor had been assured that government would make the necessary payments. He said the assurance had contributed to the contractor’s mobilisation to site.
The government has separately confirmed that work has resumed on the 118-kilometre road and said part of the contractor’s outstanding certificates had been paid to facilitate its return. The Roads and Highways Minister, Kwame Governs Agbodza, said the government had moved away from the previous loan-dependent financing arrangement and was securing direct funding for the project.
Mr Atuasi said President John Mahama had directed that work continue on the road and had set the end of 2027 as the target for its completion.
He expressed confidence that Queiroz Galvão could complete the project ahead of schedule if the contractor received the resources needed to execute the remaining works. Mr. Atuasi urged residents not to conclude that the project had been abandoned simply because some trucks were no longer visible at the site.
He said the contractor remained committed to the project and that the mobilisation of additional equipment and materials would ensure the continuation of the works.
With the President’s end-of-2027 deadline now set, Mr Atuasi said the government could be judged by whether it delivers the completed road within the stipulated timeframe. He expressed confidence that, with the necessary resources provided, Queiroz Galvao MI would complete the project and possibly finish ahead of schedule.
A1 Radio | 101.1 MHz| Simon Ayamdoo | Bolgatanga
