Governs Kwame Agbodza, Roads and Highways Minister, declared that technical officers must be held responsible for delays and poor performance on road projects, stating that politicians cannot continue to take blame for failures by contractors and supervising officials.
Speaking while inspecting the 55‑kilometre Bediako Junction–Camp 15–Sefwi Adabokrom road in Bia East District, the minister warned that engineers and other technical officers must ensure contractors execute projects according to agreed standards and timelines.
Agbodza expressed concern over the level of monitoring and supervision of road projects by Regional Highways Directors, noting their reluctance to provide firm assessments of contractors’ performance.
He urged technical officers to take ownership of projects under their supervision and provide accurate information to enable timely intervention, saying, “I know that as an engineer you can only supervise work that is being done. It’s not your job to do the work.”
Agbodza highlighted that some contractors had significantly increased the pace of work after government officials raised concerns about delays, noting that many had even doubled their output.
The minister criticised the supervision of ongoing works on the road, questioning why certain construction activities were being undertaken without necessary preparatory work, asking, “What is the use of a compactor here when you are yet to even cast the culvert?”
He also condemned officials who visit project sites without taking sufficient responsibility, remarking, “When they come, they don’t know what they are doing. They drive in their Land Cruisers and leave. Is that what you think?”
Agbodza insisted that responsibility for road project performance must extend beyond political leaders to the engineers and technical officers supervising the works, stating, “Everybody must back up, including our engineers. Politicians cannot continue to take blame for work that you are being paid to do.”
