The President, John Dramani Mahama, has explained that ongoing heavy rains across the country have slowed down the implementation of several road projects under the government’s flagship “Big Push” infrastructure programme.
Speaking during an inspection of the Kafodzidzi–Aburansa road project in the Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abirem (KEEA) Municipality, President Mahama said the weather conditions have affected construction timelines on multiple project sites, but assured that work will resume fully once the rains subside.
He noted that the Big Push projects were carefully selected to open up key food-producing and fishing communities to major markets, stressing that even shorter feeder roads such as the Kafodzidzi–Aburansa stretch play a critical economic role.
“This road may not be as long as some of the major highways we are constructing, but it is very important because it connects fishing communities to the Cape Coast–Takoradi Highway, enabling them to transport their fish to market,” he said.
President Mahama expressed satisfaction with the pace of work so far and indicated confidence that the project could be completed ahead of schedule if favourable conditions persist.
He also acknowledged that funding for the Big Push programme is available, assuring contractors that payments will be processed promptly once certificates are submitted. He urged contractors to accelerate work to avoid delays in certification and payment.
According to him, government is already preparing phase two of the Big Push road programme, which is expected to commence next year. He indicated that projects not captured in the current phase may be included in the next rollout.
“We want to deliver as many of these roads as possible. Phase two is being scoped, and those who are not covered now may be captured in the next phase,” he said.
The President further stressed the importance of quality control in road construction, warning that poor compaction remains one of the major causes of road failure in the country.
He charged engineers and supervisors to strictly enforce quality standards and ensure that contractors do not receive payment unless proper testing confirms that work has been properly executed.
“The engineers must ensure that compaction is properly done. A road fails when compaction is not properly carried out, especially when rains come and the surface begins to subside,” he cautioned.
President Mahama thanked engineers, supervisors, and contractors working on the project and urged them to speed up execution once weather conditions improve.
Source: Mubarak Yakubu
