The National Democratic Congress (NDC) branch in Virginia, US, has called on the government to include service agreements in all infrastructural development projects to ensure their long-term benefits to the people.
The Branch Chairman, Mouri-Jay Lawal, said in an interview in Ho last Saturday that some projects and important amenities built at colossal costs, served little purpose years after they were put in place because of the lack of a culture of maintenance.
For instance, Mr Lawal said a large number of boreholes provided in the communities years ago were no longer functioning because the projects were undertaken without service agreements.
Training
To reverse the trend, he called for the training of local experts to take up the maintenance of the facilities, not only in the water sector, but also in the areas of roads, buildings, markets, schools, office buildings and other structures.
“The assemblies can take up such duties vigorously with specific maintenance days and log books to record the undertakings,” Mr Lawal said.
He said that would also build trust between the government and donor partners who helped to provide the structures.
The Virginia NDC chairman cited the Danish International Development Agencies (DANIDA) community water projects in the country years ago, and said after the experts left the country, some of the facilities did not benefit from any significant maintenance.
Mr Lawal touched on the Five District Water Project in the Volta Region and said when completed, it would definitely change the fortunes of many communities.
For that matter, he said, it was crucial for the project to include a service agreement to ensure its long-term purpose.
Mr Lawal, a financial analyst, said the country would save large amounts of money if the structures were serviced regularly, rather than building new ones all the time.
“If we have basic amenities in place, funds can be used to undertake other important development projects,” he maintained.
