Anomabo: The Ministry of Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development (MLGDRD) has given Sarbert Investments, a construction firm, a six-week ultimatum to complete the Anomabo market project.
The government awarded the 3.1 million Ghana Cedis project to the Company in 2020 for the construction of 60 lockable stores, a two-story building, washrooms and a car park.
The project which is 70 per cent done, commenced in the later part of 2021 and was expected to be completed within 12 months, but the contractor had delayed it for almost two years.
This came to light when Mr Martin Adjei-Mensah Korsah, the Minister of MLGDRD, visited the project as part of a two-day visit to project sites in the Central Region.
He cautioned the contractor to step up his work and meet a six-week deadline or have the contract terminated.
Residents of Anomabo and its environs in the Mfantseman Municipality were upset about the delay due to the worsening conditions of their daily trading activities.
The Minister descri
bed the delay as ‘deliberate’ since there was no letter from the Ministry restricting the project as claimed by the contractor.
In response, Mr Louis Mensah, the Chief Executive Officer of Sarbert Investment said only 1.8 million Cedis of the contract sum had been paid to him but promised to work tirelessly to meet the deadline as directed by the Minister.
At the Saltpond market where 15 per cent of the work had been done, the Minister expressed disappointment that the project was also behind schedule and cautioned the contracting firm, Sikasem Company Limited, which had the contract this May, to ensure a swift delivery.
The market comes in two blocks, ‘A’ and ‘B’ of two-storey buildings, 90 open stores, and a washroom.
Mr Maxwell Amponsah, the Contractor of Sikasem Company, said the delay was caused by resettlement issues and the rains and promised to do his best to complete the project quickly for the business to thrive.
At Mankessim, the Minister similarly told the contractors to speed up work and mee
t the deadline.
The Minister was accompanied by Ms Ophelia Mensah Hayford, the Member of Parliament for Mfantseman, Mr Ike Lord Enu, the Municipal Chief Executive, Directors and some staff of the MLGDRD and the Mfantseman Assembly.
Source: Ghana News Agency
