The Association of Road Contractors has described the declaration of 2022 as “Year of Roads’’ by the government as more of sloganeering than a reality.
The association explained that 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 were all declared as years of roads but “we did not see anything as stakeholders in the built industry.”
The association said nothing was seen in correspondence with the declaration by the government.
The association further challenged that nothing was seen in all the years declared in terms of construction of roads as well as payment for work done in the sector.
Mr. Stephen Atasi, Vice President of the Association made these statements in reaction to the call by the Minister for Roads and Highways, Kwasi Amoako-Atta for contractors to support the government in implementing the controversial E-levy for the government to be able to pay its indebtedness to contractors.
“If the government is saying that we should support the E-levy for us to be paid, where did the government get the money to declare the year of roads”? Mr Atasi asked.
Speaking on Accra 100.5 FM’s morning show dubbed Ghana Yensom hosted by Kwame Obeng Sarkodie, he said “we were promised payment in September last year till date nothing has hit the accounts”.
He said the government has been owing contractors since 2017.
He said these declarations of years of roads should have culminated into money in the pockets of contractors but nothing has been seen by contractors across the country.
“Even this year was declared as a year of roads but we’ve not seen anything until the E-levy came to take over,” he contested.
He argued that there may be some roads construction ongoing in some places but it is minimal.
