The Association of Local Contractors, who undertook various school building and other projects under the US$1Million per Constituency, have appealed to government to pay them about GH¢ 500 million debts owed them for work they have completed.
They claimed that they had constructed primary and junior high schools classroom blocks across the 275 constituencies nationwide but had not received any payment over a year now.
The inability of government to fulfill its financial obligation, they claimed was causing them hardship not only for them alone but also their families and dependents.
“We have built but have not been paid for work done, yet, such schools are being used as the school has reopened today,” Nana Ankomah Agyemang, Vice Chairman of the Association of Local Contractors, told the Ghanaian Times in Accra Friday.
According to him, the Association with about 500 members, each of them had contracted various loans from the banks to carry out the projects but were unable to repay the loans which had accrued huge interest and other penalties for defaulting.
“This situation is impacting us negatively unless government pay our money, our lives would continue to be miserable,” he lamented.
He stated that the government’s inability to pay them their due has led to the loss of jobs and properties used as collateral by its members for bank loans.
He named some of the projects they undertook as the construction of 10 and 16-seater toilet facilities, market stores, durbar grounds, Police posts, three and six-unit classroom blocks.
Nana Agyemang stated the rest as the construction of green grass pitches, boreholes, all under the US $1 Million Per Constituency Projects without any payment made by government to that effect that some of the facilities were currently been used by the various institutions.
“Workers have been laid off because we can’t pay them. The situation has also brought untold hardship on us, resulting in some losing their lives,” he added.
According to him, the arrears had not been settled over a year since the submission of certificates for work done.
BY NORMAN COOPER
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