The Parliamentary select committee on Works and Housing has said government must immediately pay the debt it owes Dredge Masters, a subsidiary of Jospong Group in charge of dredging drains.
According to them, Dredge Masters have done a tremendous job even though government hasn’t paid them since 2015.
This comes on the back of the confirmation by the Minister for Works and Housing, Samuel Atta-Akyea, that even though Dredge Masters have not been paid, they are still working.
Mr. Atta-Akyea also added that, sitting on his desk are huge arrears that must be made to Dredge Masters.
Addressing the press during the inspection of some dredging sites within Accra, Vice Chairman of the committee, Sampson Ahi, MP for Bodi, said the timely payment by government will assist Dredge Masters to tackle other components of the contract.
“We all need to be paid when we work so we are appealing to government to pay. This contract is binding on government and if it must be continued then government needs to pay the contractors. The contract has different components, with regards to de-silting they are almost done, but the other non-dredging projects have not been done or completed because of lack of funding. I believe when they are paid it will be tackled.”
The Parliamentary Select Committee on Works and Housing visited dredge masters to get first-hand information on the level of work done to avert perennial flooding within the city. The team was led by the chairman, Nana Amoakoh.
Dredge Masters, a Ghanaian-owned leading provider of dredging services, was contracted to dredge the Odaw drain which runs through a greater part of the city.
It is the first company to be contracted by the government to clear the drain after the philanthropic gesture by Ibrahim Mahama’s Engineers and Planners following the June 3, 2015 floods.
Dredge Masters has been awarded the contract since November 2015.
Mr. Atta-Akyea had earlier commended Dredge Masters for the work done so far and had assured that government would clear the debt.
“Companies are very commercial in character and without money, we don’t expect them to deliver. But Zoomlion and its subsidiary, Dredge Masters continue to work in the face of all these. So if there is any commendation, dredging masters and Zoomlion must be acknowledged for their services.”
“…The dredging of the Odaw River is capital intensive, but even though these companies are owed huge sums, they still continue to work because of the human dimension they have attached to their work. It is in the light of this that, they must be supported to continue giving us the services we need,” he said.
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