The Oforikrom Municipal Assembly (OfMA) as part of government’s policy to focus on completing thousands of inherited and abandoned public infrastructures, dubbed “legacy projects” has handed over four abandoned projects to contractors without any variations.
The projects are the Administration Block (60% completed; contracted to BB Viderk) at Appiadu, the Municipal Court at Boadi Junction and Judge’s Bungalow at Appiadu (90% and 70% completed respectively; contracted to Construction Ambassadors Limited), the MCE’s Bungalow and 14-seater toilet facility, both at Kentinkrono.
Anwel Sadat Ahmed, the Chief Executive, OfMA indicated the stalling of these projects is due to monetary issues, explaining that during the previous administration all contracts were awarded at a central level, hence the MCE had no knowledge of what the contracts entailed.
He explained that the MCE was only charged to provide access to land for the contractor to execute the contract, touting his predecessor for containing the burden and securing the land from the traditional leaders.
The MCE also touted President John Dramani Mahama for allocating 20%, the biggest allocation, of the common fund for completion of abandoned projects.
Touching on the challenges of not having an administration block and a municipal court as an assembly, the MCE disclosed that every year his outfit has to budget to absorb the renting of the assembly block and other offices, which drains a lot of funds from the assembly.
He also disclosed that cases that fall within the jurisdiction of the assembly are held at Asokwa District Court and Asokore Mampong Municipal Court, due to lack of a municipal court within the municipality which situation deprives the assembly of a percentage of compensations paid to the aforementioned courts at the expense of OfMA.
Hon. Ahmed indicated that the administration block is supposed to be finished in eight months while the municipal court will be completed in four months from assurances of the contractors.
He assured that by 2027 the four named abandoned projects will be done to pave way for other new legacy projects to be initiated by the assembly.
From Oswald P. Freiku, Kumasi
