Francis Asenso-Boakye (right), Minister of Roads and Highways, addressing the Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu at the Manhyia Palace in Kumasi

Pay contractors! - Asantehene urges govt

Kwadwo Baffoe Donkor Mar - 20 - 2024 , 06:20 2 minutes read

The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has urged the government to pay road contractors in the country to enable them to pay back loans they acquired for projects.

He also said the government must stop piling up certificates of contractors and rather pay them promptly for them to complete their works on schedule.

The Asantehene said the inability of the government to honour its payment obligations to contractors had led to abandonment of some projects.

Courtesy call

The Asantehene was speaking when the new Minister of Roads and Highways, Francis Asenso- Boakye, paid a courtesy call on him at his palace in Kumasi last Monday.

The visit formed part of the minister’s three-day working tour of the Ashanti and Ahafo regions.

Priority

The Asantehene also said that there was the need for the government to prioritise work on some of the road projects owing to their economic importance.

He acknowledged the critical role roads played in the development of every nation and said any investment in the sector was an investment in the economic development of the country.

Consequently, the Asantehene said the position of a Roads Minister was akin to being in charge of the nation’s destiny.

He, therefore, advised the minister to live up to expectation to make Asanteman and the nation proud.

Purpose

Mr Asenso-Boakye said the visit was to seek the blessings of the Overlord of Asanteman and to also inspect some ongoing projects in the region.

He said the central location of the region, which was linked to some major parts of the country, including some landlocked countries, made the area critical to the accelerated development of the nation.

The minister said the Suame interchange was the single largest road project in the country which, when completed, would greatly ease transportation challenges in the region and make it more accessible.

Aside from that, he said the government was committed to completing work on all ring roads in the region to reduce travelling hours.

The minister and his entourage later inspected ongoing works on the Suame interchange, Kwabre town roads, Bekwai roundabout-Santasi road and the Sofoline interchange.