Re-construction of Kenyasi to Hwidiem road stalls

From Christabel Oboshie ANNAN, Sunyani

THE re-construction of the 8.2-kilometer Kenyasi- Hwideim road in the Ahafo region has stalled as the contractor, Kofi Job Company Limited has reportedly abandoned the project.
The project, fully funded by mining giant, Newmont Ghana Gold Limited (NGGL) commenced in September 2022 and due for completion in July 2023 was given to the contractor by the Ministry of Roads and Highways (MRH) with the Ghana Highway Authority being the implementing agency.
According to Communications and External Affairs Manager at Newmont, Mr Samuel Osei, the 8.2km road initially cost GH¢70.3 million but later shot up to GH¢95.4 million due to inflation and exchange rate fluctuation.

A visit by a team of journalists from the Journalists for Business Advocacy (JBA), to the project site revealed no activity on the stretch.
As a result of that JBA further probed by speaking to some stakeholders at Kenyasi and Hwideim to find out why the road had been neglected.
The Youth Leader for Kenyasi No. 1, Abdul Karim Yeboah, stated that the contractor started work steadily only to suspend it for over six months.
He said that the Youth Association consulted the District Assembly, Newmont Officials and the Regional Minister for Ahafo Region to find out the reason for the halt in construction and was told that the Ghana Cedi depreciated against the US Dollar.
As a result, he stated that the contractor had informed some stakeholders that the budget had been exhausted and could not proceed with the project. 
He noted that the Association was briefed that Newmont had completed payment and had exceeded the GH¢70.3 million earlier earmarked for the project to GH¢95.4 million to the contractor and had still not returned to work.
The Youth Leader further said that during the Social Responsibility Forum, documents were presented to them to confirm that Newmont had made full payment.
“As lay men, the little we know about contracts is that we don’t give all funds to a contractor when the contractor hasn’t finished work and given completion certificate.
But Newmont has made full payment unds out. So we asked Newmont, and their response was that, it was because of agitation from members of the community and they wanted the contractor to expedite action in completing the project”he explained”.

Abdul Karim Yeboah stated that the completion of the road would be critical in enhancing the socio-economic life of the people of the area.

He indicated that part of the road is fixed, however after the Kenyasi police training school to Hwidiem the road is dusty and unhealthy for members of the community.
He stressed that it’s affecting the community economically and health wise.
The Youth Leader disclosed that the Ahafo Kenyase Development Association (AKDA), together with relevant stakeholders, including the Youth Associations of the three towns, Civil Society Organisations and the general public will soon embark on a demonstration to ensure that the road is fixed.
When asked if they have engaged the Contractor directly, Abdul Karim Yeboah said it is very difficult to meet the contractor since he does not live in the vicinity.
“He hardly comes around, so we don’t even know where he is and we haven’t had the opportunity to speak to him” he said.
He encouraged members of the community to stay calm as they fight harder for the roads to be fixed.

Kenyasi No. 2 Palace

Journalists for Business Advocacy  further moved to the Kenyasi No. 2 Palace to also find out from the Chief what he knew about the road.
Nana Owusu Boadu Ayeboafo, the acting president of Kenyasi No. 2 Traditional Council confirmed that the regional minister and officials from Newmont informed stakeholders  at the forum that Newmont had fully paid the contractor, Kofi Job, for the work.
He stated that the Regional Minister during the forum affirmed that Newmont had paid the money in full and was then tasked by stakeholders to ensure that the contractor completes the work.
He added that the dust is posing serious threat to the health of the community and has caused most businesses to relocate.
He advised that, in future, full payments to contractors should never be made if they have not shown proof that a job is finished.
A shop attendant, Kofi Boakye in the area said that about six months now, he has not seen any construction being done in the last four months on the road.
He explained that he heard that Newmont funded the road and handed it over to Kofi Jobs Company Limited but has been wondering why work has not been done.
Another driver in the vicinity, Owusu Berchie lamented that the stretch has turned out to be a disaster when it either rains or shines, posing threats to their health.
He added that last month he visited the hospital as a result of severe ear problems, only to find out that he had a lot of dust in his ears.
“There have been promises one after the other and it’s causing financial loss as well as health issues to members of the community” he added.

Kofi Jobs Company Limited

When the team arrived at the Kofi Jobs Company Limited yard in Ahafo, the security man, Charles Anane was sitting idle.

He stated that all machines and equipment had been moved to their yard in Kumasi and that they hadn’t been working for a while.

He added that he didn’t know the reason why they had stopped working on the Kenyasi- Hwideim road.

The Engineer in charge of the road at Kofi Jobs Company Limited, Kankam, who was contacted by the Finder on the issue said that the company had instructed workers not to speak about the project.

Newmont Ghana Gold Limited (NGGL)

Mr Osei stated that the company entered a collaborative agreement with the Ministry of Roads and Highways and the Ministry subsequently held the direct contract with Kofi Job Company Limited.

He explained that the company was responsible for providing funding for the construction of the road, while government’s responsibility (through the Ghana Highway Authority) was to engage a qualified contractor to asphalt the road.

“Ghana Highway Authority (GHA) was also responsible for the verification of completion of work and when satisfied, instructs Newmont to pay the contractor” he said.

However, following the re-evaluation of the project due to inflation and exchange rate challenges, and the undue delay in completing the road coupled with agitation from the residents of the beneficiary communities, GHA and Newmont agreed to pay the contractor in full to expedite early completion.

He added that the company has fully paid the contractor and is waiting for the government to compel the contractor to continue working.

Ministry of Roads and Highways (MRH)

A source from the Ministry of Roads and Highways, who spoke under anonymity said that Newmont can not pay fully for the works if the works are not complete and that works are only paid for when it’s been certified.
“Newmont is an international firm and they knows this well” The source stressed.
He added that Newmont has only paid for works that have been completed by the contractor and certified by both Newmont and Ghana Highways Authority Engineers.
“When the works started it was noticed that there were a lot of soft spots on the road and this had to be addressed. The treatment of the soft spots was discussed with Newmont whose representatives were part of the project supervision team. It is therefore surprising that Newmont is claiming not to be aware of this.
Currently, the outstanding works have been assessed awaiting approval of Newmont.

The assessment of outstanding works was done jointly by Newmont, Ghana Highway Authority and the Ministry of Roads and Highways” the source explained.