Extension of the Accra-Tema highway: the constitution has not been violated – Ministry of Roads

The Ministry of Roads and Highways has denied having violated the constitution by awarding the Accra-Tema highway extension project to the construction company Mota-Engil Engenharia E Construcao Africa SA

Mr Governs Kwame Agbodza, a member of the Parliament’s Roads and Transport Committee, accused the ministry of not seeking parliamentary approval before awarding the project to the Portuguese construction company Mota-Engil Engenharia E Construcao Africa SA

He also alleged that Mota-Engil was not qualified to undertake the project on a design and build basis, adding that Ghanaians were able to execute the project, therefore the contract must be immediately canceled and repackaged for them. local entrepreneurs.

However, the ministry, in a statement signed and released by public relations chief Mr. Nasir Ahmed Yartey and copied to the Ghanaian news agency in Accra, said the claims and conclusions were inaccurate and misleading.

Explaining the details of the contract, the press release indicates that in December 2020, the ministry signed a commercial contract with Mota-Engil.

He said the commercial contract as such could not be sent to parliament without the complement of a financial agreement because, at the moment, the financing terms had not yet been concluded.

The statement said it was therefore premature for anyone to claim or suggest that the minister and elsewhere, the ministry had broken the law, when documents to be submitted to Parliament were not finalized.

“The signing of a commercial contract for projects financed at the international level with suspensive conditions before its submission to Parliament is not unusual,” he added.

The statement also explained that as an active promoter of local content, 40 percent of all work on the Accra-Tema highway extension project was reserved for local contractors.

However, he said that of the 23 companies that expressed interest when the bidding process was launched in December 2018, none were Ghanaian.

“It is therefore not correct to give the impression that Ghanaian companies have been excluded,” the statement said.

The scope of work of the project includes a 10-lane 19.5 km highway (4 lanes of reinforced concrete highway, 6 lanes of urban highway), the reconstruction of Tetteh Quarshie in Apenkwa (5.7 km), the renovation of the Tetteh Quarshie, Apenkwa and Achimota interchanges, Construction of 5 new interchanges (Lashibi, Abattoir, Teshie Link, Fiesta Royale and Neoplan junction), 14No. Pedestrian bridges, toll booths and lampposts.

The statement said: “It is simplistic and ignorant for anyone to do a simple calculation of the cost over the kilometers and conclude that the cost of the Accra Tema highway extension project is too high without resorting to the reach and to the actual work involved in the project. “

He added that the government, through the Ministry of Roads and Highways, was working closely with the Ministry of Finance and all other relevant stakeholders to ensure that no mandate was bypassed and to obtain good value for money in the interest of the nation.

“The accusations against the ministry are frivolous, baseless and constitute a palpable lie. The Department of Highways and Highways hereby informs the general public that the non-factual and misleading comments of Hon. Kwame Agbodza’s government should not be taken into account, ”the statement said.

Regarding the La Beach Road completion project, the statement also explains that the commercial contract was signed in September 2012 with similar preconditions, adding that “Cabinet and Parliament approvals were obtained in November and December 2018 respectively. and the contract came into effect in 2019. “