The Minister for Roads and Highways, Mr Kwame Governs Agbodza, has warned the contractor handling the Bolgatanga–Bawku–Pulmakon road project, Queiroz Galvão Construction Firm, to resume work on the main bridge next week or risk losing the contract.
The Minister cautioned that the government would not tolerate further delays or another withdrawal from the project, stressing that if the contractor demobilised from the site without completing the assigned works, it should not expect to return, as a new contractor would be engaged to continue the project.
Mr Agbodza, who was visibly unhappy with the contractor’s performance, made the remarks while addressing journalists during an inspection of the road project.
He described the Bolgatanga–Wa road corridor as having suffered years of setbacks, which he said successive governments had struggled to overcome.
According to him, President John Dramani Mahama is determined to break what he described as a long-standing jinx surrounding the completion of major road projects in the area.“It is as if any effort by any government to undertake this project comes with an excuse as to why it should not be done.
But President Mahama is determined that this jinx will be broken under his tenure, and we shall break that jinx,” he stated.
The Minister expressed disappointment with Rango, the contractor’s representative, and the Queiroz Galvão Construction Firm, particularly because the contractor was seen working on the project when President Mahama visited the area in August 2026.
He insisted that the contractor had no justification for withdrawing from the site, adding that the government had already put strategies in place to ensure the completion of the project.
Mr Agbodza further disclosed that he had made an unannounced visit to the project site and initially doubted reports from some community members that the contractor had withdrawn.
However, he said his visit confirmed their concerns.He issued a stern warning to the contractor, saying: “When we leave here and you leave the site, you are leaving for good. Let me repeat: if I leave here and you and your team leave the site, do not come back, because you will come back to see another contractor here.
”President John Dramani Mahama, during his Resetting Ghana Tour of the Upper East Region in August 2026, inspected the Bolgatanga–Bawku–Pulmakon road and expressed concern about the prolonged delay in completing the project.The President explained that the project had stalled following the debt default in 2023, which forced the contractor to withdraw from the site.
He subsequently directed the Ministry of Roads and Highways and the Ministry of Finance to take the necessary steps to facilitate the contractor’s return and the resumption of work.
However, the Member of Parliament for Bolgatanga Central, Mr Isaac Adongo Aduko, said the contractor’s withdrawal after the President’s visit had raised doubts among residents about whether the company would return to complete the project.
He observed that after President Mahama inspected the road and left the region, the contractor also demobilised from the site, making it difficult for residents to believe that work would resume.
Meanwhile, the government has taken over the financing of the road project using its own resources following the termination of the loan support arrangement.Although President Mahama indicated that the project might not formally fall under the government’s Big Push initiative, he said it was closely aligned with the programme.
He assured the contractor that, under arrangements similar to the Big Push initiative, certificates submitted for completed works would be paid within the programme’s stipulated payment period to ensure the smooth continuation and completion of the project.
The President expressed optimism that the government would return to the region next year to commission the final phase of the Bolgatanga–Bawku–Pulmakon road.
He emphasised that completing the project was critical to linking it with other road sections and improving transportation connectivity across the region.
For his part, the Upper East Regional Minister, Mr Donatus Atanga Akamugri, thanked residents of the region for their persistent advocacy and pressure on the government to address the deteriorating condition of the road.
He noted that residents had consistently raised concerns about the increasing number of road accidents, as well as the dusty and deplorable condition of the road, which continues to pose challenges to motorists and other road users.
Source:mywordfmonline.com/Gaspard Adongo Ayuureneeya