Roads and Highways Minister Kwame Governs Agbodza has given Rango Construction a one-week ultimatum to mobilise and resume work on the bridge section of the Bolgatanga-Bawku-Pulmakom road.
The ultimatum follows the minister’s discovery of limited activity at the project site during a visit, despite assurances by the contractor that work would resume after President John Dramani Mahama’s recent inspection.
Agbodza expressed disappointment, accusing the contractor of engaging in what residents described as “eye service” by mobilising workers and equipment when government officials visited, only to withdraw afterwards.
“I feel disappointed that when we left, and even though I paid a surprise visit, and the community told me it was an eye service, and I doubted them, it turns out that that’s what it was,” he said.
He questioned why there was no visible activity on the bridge and directed the contractor to begin work on that section within a week.
“So please, within a week, mobilize and let’s see you working on the bridge itself,” he stressed.
The minister further warned that the contractor risked losing the project if it abandoned the site again after his visit.
“Let me repeat, when I leave here and you and your team leave the site, don’t come back, because you’ll come back to see another contractor here,” he cautioned.
Agbodza said the project had been prioritised under the government’s Big Push programme and was fully funded, insisting that delays could not be blamed on a lack of money or engineering designs.
He also directed engineers to provide weekly updates on progress, saying reports from the contractor would be checked against information from residents.
The Bolgatanga-Bawku-Pulmakom road project, which began in 2015, has faced prolonged delays, with communities along the route continuing to endure poor road conditions.
The minister assured residents that President Mahama remained committed to completing the project and urged the contractor to demonstrate its capacity to deliver.
