A contractor has advised the government to be prepared to pay for good roads to avoid rapid deterioration of the roads in the country.
David Jabez Cobbina; an entrepreneur and Managing Director of Jabfran Construction firm has also debunked the assertion that Ghanaian road engineers are incompetent.
He was speaking in an interview with Julius Caesar Anadem on Kumasi-based Ultimate FM on the state of roads in Ghana.
Bad system
He revealed that though Ghanaian road contractors are very good at their work, the “system is bad. You are promised payment after some amount of the job is done but then it takes such a long time to get paid during which time what has already been done begins to deteriorate due to rains and other factors” he lamented. He also lamented the situation where government officials always want to construct roads with the same amount of monies that was used in previous years. He says it is unfair since prices in previous years of construction materials and equipment keep changing.
He stressed the need to change such a system to make monies available for good road construction.
Shift from Asphalt to concrete
Mr. Cobbina suggested a shift from asphalt roads to concrete roads as a means of ensuring better and more durable roads. He argued that concrete roads would give the country better value for money.
Unfair criticisms
He lamented that people criticize contractors unfairly in Ghana without taking time to find out the details of the contract. “Before you criticize a contractor, do well to find out what he was contracted to do” he stressed.
What do you think about this piece? Share your comment in the comment thread and share the story using the social media buttons above. You may reach the editor on 0249579664. Thank you.
