By Benjamin Makafui Attipoe, Atsieve
The South Tongu District Chief Executive (DCE), Victoria Dzeklo has stated that government, as part of its reset agenda, would not tolerate either delays in execution of contracts or poor quality or shoddy work. She emphasized that the days when people got away with poor quality of work are gone, adding that the country cannot continue to lose its scarce resources in the name of shoddy work by some contractors.
The DCE gave the caution during an inspection visit to some of the on-going project sites in the district.
Her warning was in respect of the 3-unit classroom block with ancillary facilities for the Atsieve D.A. Basic School. The Atsieve school project also has an office, spaces for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and Library, Head teacher’s office and a staff common room amongst others.
The project, which was started in 2018 with funding from the District Assembly’s Common Fund (DACF), got stalled after it took off until the change of government in January, 2025. Government then inherited all the stalled and completed projects with the stalled ones being completed under the government’s legacy projects’ initiative in order to save the tax payers’ money.
The project is being executed by the same contractor, who began the work some eight (8) years ago. Even though Theo Tech Construction Company Limited based in Accra has so far done about seventy-five (75) percent of the entire work, the DCE and her team of Engineers were highly disappointed not only at the slow pace of work but also the poor quality of building materials being used for the work.
Our newsteam learnt that since work on the project resumed last year, two (2) separate payments have been made to the contractor. Apart from the poor quality of work being done by the contractor, some of the doors and frames, water closet (WC) materials and some fittings that should have been in place by now per the work schedule, have not been fixed, raising concerns and doubts as to whether the work can be completed by the expected June, 2026 time.
Speaking to the media during and after the inspection, the DCE, Victoria Dzeklo was not happy about the performance and conduct of the contractor. She therefore summoned the contractor to appear before the management of the Assembly to answer series of questions on the project.
Hon. Dzeklo warned that the Assembly or government for that matter would not accept any delay of any projects or tolerate shoddy work by some of the contractors. She regretted that a month ago, the Assembly’s engineers visited the same site for inspection, adding that what the team came to meet four (4) weeks ago is the same work today, explaining that nothing has been added.
The DCE said this is unacceptable, saying the Assembly would not hesitate to pay off the current contractor and hire a new one if the need arises.
The 3-unit classroom block for the Atsieve D.A.Basic School is important for the community and the pupils alike. This is because the only Junior High School (JHS) block for the pupils, is an old mud structure built by the community members through communal labour some years ago. The structure has now become a death trap as cracks have developed within parts of the wall and the main building. The roofs of the mud structure are also falling off, posing danger to the lives of the JHS pupils.
Two of the pupils told our newesteam in an interview that they are only hopeful that the on-going project would be completed in time to enable them heave a sigh of relieve from their old age problem of continuing to study in a dilapidated classroom infrastructure.
