Asenso-Boakye wins 2023 Best Minister for Infrastructure Devt

The Minister of Works and Housing, Francis Asenso-Boakye, has received an award as Ghana's Best Minister for Infrastructure Development.

Mr Asenso-Boakye, who is also the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament for Bantama in the Ashanti Region, received the award last Wednesday at the Chamber of Construction 2023 Awards for Industry Players in Accra.

Speaking at the event, the minister assured the Chamber of Construction of government’s unwavering commitment to prioritising infrastructure development.

He said the government was working to foster an enabling environment for private sector investment.

Mr Asenso-Boakye said the private sector brought not only financial resources but also the innovation, expertise and efficiency vital for the successful implementation of projects. 

Contractors

The Works and Housing Minister, however, admitted that ''despite being a commonly employed financing mechanism, public-private partnerships still represented an evolving concept in sub-Saharan Africa largely due to persistent obstacles hindering their successful execution.'’

He said it was for this reason that in 2020, the government passed the Public-Private Partnership Act (Act 1039) to streamline regulations, reduce bureaucracy and improve government framework to foster confidence for the private sector and attract the necessary capital for infrastructure projects.

Mr Asenso-Boakye said he was aware of the challenges encountered by the contractors and gave the assurance that he was committed to addressing them.

“As the minister responsible for the construction sector, I want to express my awareness of the difficulties contractors are encountering, particularly concerning delayed payments.

I want to assure you that I am committed to addressing the payment issues to the best of my ability,” he stated.

He expressed appreciation to the Chamber of Construction for recognising his efforts and crowning him the 2023 Ghana's Best Minister for Infrastructure Development.

He stressed that the award would only add to the various factors that motivated him to do his best for the country.