President John Dramani Mahama has commended the contractor working on the construction of the 24-Hour Market at Nadowli-Kaleo in the Upper West Region, describing the pace of work as encouraging.
The President made the commendation when he inspected the project as part of his Resetting Ghana Tour of the Upper West Region.
President Mahama said the government was constructing 24-Hour Markets across all 261 constituencies as part of efforts to stimulate economic activity and create reliable trading spaces for farmers and other producers.
“Let me commend the contractor who is working on this project. We are constructing these 24-Hour Markets in all 261 constituencies, and I can see that this is a serious contractor,” he said.
The President expressed concern about some contractors who, after being awarded projects, lacked the financial capacity to commence work.
“There are some project sites where the people who won the contracts do not have the financial capacity to begin work,” he noted.
He said government was deliberately moving away from a system where contractors depended entirely on mobilisation payments before commencing projects.
“Some contractors assume they will first receive mobilisation, just as happened in the past, when people took mobilisation money and bought V8 vehicles instead of doing the job,” President Mahama stated.
According to him, contractors selected for the 24-Hour Market projects were expected to have sufficient financial capacity to commence work with their own resources.
“We therefore expected that companies awarded these projects would have the financial muscle to start work with their own resources,” he said.
Payment linked to progress
President Mahama explained that contractors would receive payments after attaining a specified level of physical progress on their projects.
“Once a contractor reaches 15 per cent completion, payment is made, and the work continues until the project is finished,” he explained.
He assured contractors that the funds were available and therefore urged them to advance their projects.
“The money is available, so there is no reason why any contractor should fail to advance the work to this stage,” the President said.
President Mahama expressed satisfaction with the progress of the Nadowli-Kaleo project and encouraged the contractor to maintain the pace.
“From what I have seen here, the contractor is on track and is doing a very good job. I encourage you to continue the good work,” he said.
Markets to boost local economies
The President said the 24-Hour Markets would play an important role in strengthening the economic life of communities across the country.
“These markets are going to strengthen the economic life of our communities,” he stated.
He explained that many farmers currently faced difficulties in finding reliable markets for their agricultural produce.
“We have farmers who are looking for reliable outlets to sell their produce,” President Mahama said.
He said the 261 markets would provide dedicated trading spaces for farmers producing a wide range of crops.
“These 261 markets across the country will provide trading spaces for our pepper farmers, onion farmers, maize farmers, and many others,” he explained.
According to him, the markets would enable farmers to display their produce and improve their livelihoods.
“They will have a place to display their goods and earn a decent income,” he added.
President Mahama urged other contractors undertaking similar projects across the country to emulate the progress being made at Nadowli-Kaleo.
“That is why these markets are so important, and I hope all the other contractors working on similar projects will take a cue from what is happening here in Nadowli,” he said.
Women eager for project completion
President Mahama also acknowledged the strong interest of women in the project, particularly because of the opportunities the completed market would provide.
“As the MCE said, the women are very interested in this project. I am sure they are the ones putting pressure on the contractor to speed up the work,” he remarked.
In a light-hearted moment, the President suggested that the Municipal Chief Executive was also ensuring that the contractor maintained the pace of work.
“Judging by the MCE herself, I am certain she does not allow you to sleep,” he said.
President Mahama assured the people of Nadowli-Kaleo that government would return to commission the completed market.
“Continue the work, and when you finish, we will all return here, invite the chiefs, and commission the market together,” he stated.
Mahama orders immediate inspection of bridge
The President also responded to concerns raised by traditional leaders about a bridge in the area.
He disclosed that the Deputy Minister for Roads and Highways was present and directed him to ensure that the technical team inspected the bridge immediately.
“On the bridge that the chiefs spoke about, fortunately the Deputy Minister for Roads and Highways is here. I have instructed him to direct the technical team to inspect the bridge immediately,” President Mahama said.
The President further indicated that the necessary steel components were already available and could be mobilised for installation to improve access to the area.
“We already have the steel components, so they should mobilise and install them to open up the area,” he added.
Story: Patrick Asford Boadu
