Contractors who abandon government projects or leave construction sites idle without credible justification will be blacklisted and barred from bidding for future contracts under the Ministry of Works, Housing and Water Resources, the sector Minister, Ahmed Ibrahim, has warned.
He said the ministry was determined to end the practice of contractors securing public contracts and subsequently abandoning projects, resulting in delays, cost overruns and uncompleted infrastructure across the country.
Mr Ibrahim said the ministry would inspect major projects nationwide and terminate, repackage and re-award contracts where contractors could not provide satisfactory explanations for delays or had abandoned project sites.
“If we come and you are not on site, we will blacklist you. Once you are blacklisted, you will not qualify to bid for contracts in any of our agencies and departments again,” he warned.
The minister gave the warning in Accra on Friday at the close of a three-day strategic retreat organised by the ministry.
He directed all agencies under the ministry to develop a consolidated action plan with measurable targets, implementation timelines and regular progress reports to ensure that decisions taken at the retreat translated into tangible results.
Mr Ibrahim stressed that the success of the retreat would be measured by implementation rather than presentations, saying the ministry would closely monitor progress on agreed actions.
He said a comprehensive status report would also be compiled on all ongoing, completed, stalled and delayed projects to identify the constraints affecting their delivery and establish clear measures to address them.
On housing, Mr Ibrahim called for sustainable financing mechanisms, stronger collaboration among agencies and reforms to procurement processes to reduce project abandonment.
He said Ghana’s estimated housing deficit of about 1.8 million units required urgent and innovative financing solutions.
The minister cited Kenya’s housing levy as an example of a financing model that could be studied and adapted to accelerate the delivery of affordable housing in Ghana.
Earlier, the Chief Director of the ministry, Mrs Irene Odokai Messiba, presented the outcomes of the retreat and highlighted challenges confronting the housing, water and infrastructure sectors.
She said the housing deficit remained severe, with inadequate housing supply, delayed projects and limited access to long-term financing continuing to hamper efforts to provide affordable housing.
Mrs Messiba said the ministry was pursuing the completion of the Saglemi, Pokuase-Afiaman and Community 26 housing projects as part of efforts to expand the country’s housing stock.
She recommended stronger public-private partnerships, the adoption of innovative building technologies and the establishment of a sustainable housing finance framework.
On water security, Mrs Messiba expressed concern about pollution from illegal mining, declining renewable water resources, ageing infrastructure and increasing demand for potable water.
She called for intensified enforcement against pollution, increased investment in water infrastructure, digitalisation of regulatory services, stronger institutional coordination and greater public awareness to protect Ghana’s water resources.
The retreat also reviewed progress on flood control, coastal protection, rural water systems, public infrastructure maintenance and the Akosombo resettlement programme.
Participants agreed on measures to accelerate project implementation, strengthen monitoring and improve service delivery across the ministry and its agencies.
By JESSIE PRINCESS DUAH & PERPETUAL MENSAH
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