Community leaders of Kenyasi comprising Kenyasi No.1 and Kenyasi No.2 Kenyasi and Hwidiem, all in the Ahafo Region are chasing Kofijob Construction Ltd, a leading local construction company for abandoning a multimillion-dollar Hwidiem-Kenyasi road project solely funded by Newmont Africa.
Kenyasi which is the capital town of Asutifi North District is linked to Hwidiem, the capital town of Asutifi South District via the 8.2km road which had been awarded to the construction company since July 2022 and, but it later abandoned the project without any tangible reason.
The community leaders and residents of the two districts who spoked with some selected members of Journalists for Business Advocacy (JBA) who toured the abandoned road project, did not menace words but to express their convulsion and anger at the situation.
The Youth Leader of Kenyasi No.1, Abdul Karim Yeboah, said for years now, residents of Kenyasi No.1, Kenyasi No.2, Hwidiem, Ntotroso and other surrounding communities have been pressing on the government to at least help them to complete the road due to the abundance of gold and agricultural resources in the two districts.
He told the journalists that the abandoned road project is affecting them in a number of diverse ways. Firstly, “Kenyasi as you know has a very big market and on Thursdays and Sundays especially Thursdays, people from neighbouring communities come to Kenyasi to trade.
But when it rains the muddy nature of the road deters other businesspeople from patronising the market”.
Secondly, they are students from Hwidiem who attend schools in Kenyasi and vice-versa, so the un-completion of the road is affecting their movements and invariably their education.
Mr Yeboah added that the quantum of dust that generates from any vehicle that passes the road is very devastating and injurious to the health of people especially those living nearby the abandoned road.
For instance, he revealed that “just recently, there have been a series of vehicular accidents because of the dust. Just within less than two weeks, two people were run over immediately by two incoming vehicles due to the dusty and poor nature of the road”.
This accident involved a bus and another huge vehicle which were plying on that road. As you know, larger vehicles always generate huge amounts of dust following them.
So, there was a motorbike carrying two people and another incoming motorbike which decided to overtake the moving bus to be ahead of it to escape being bathed by the dust”.
Unfortunately to the rider, he did not know that another motorbike was coming so they clashed resulting in their death, Mr Yeboah narrated.
So, people are dying and maiming because of Kofijob Construction Ltd unwise and unilateral decision to discontinue the road project. For Owusu Berchie who lives along the road did not hide his feelings but to describe the situation as “a disaster.
When the wind blows, it is a disaster and when it rains, it is also a disaster”.
In his own words: “I have been living here 15 years, getting to 16 years. Since I have been here the road has been a problem for us.
But authorities keep saying that they will do it. It was last year that a constructor was seen working on the road. But it was not long that he abandoned the road worsening the plight of the road users”.
Mr Berchie, who was in the front seat of a pick-up believed to belong to the National Health Insurance Authority and was being driven by his driver at the time of the interview, said he had an ear problem because of the dust from the road.
He added that it was his wife who is a nurse working in one of the hospitals in the area who advised him to go to a health facility for a medical check-up.
“After checking, I was told that it was dust that entered my ear. I just live around the road which is about 150 metres away from here at the high tension.
Just close to the road and this is the result that we are having here. But there have been promises upon promises of completing this road project which is said to be funded by Newmont”, Mr Berchie said.
“Another challenge is that when it rains and you have a guest, you will be ashamed of living in this town. You cannot walk from here to the top.
The rainwater takes some time to drain anytime it rains in this area. People who do business or walk on this road get their dresses and goods soiled when the wind blows. So, it is just a problematic road for us”.
The Acting President of Kenyasi No2 Traditional Council who is also the Akwamuhehe of Kenyasi No2 Traditional Council, Nana Owusu Boadu Ayeboafo who spoke to the journalists at his Palace, was not happy with the un-completion of the road project.
He said if the road was completed it would have opened the area for rapid development. This is because more businesses would have taken advantage of the smooth road network and as well as the presence of Newmont Africa’s Ahafo South and the upcoming Ahafo South mines to expand their businesses to the area.
What is causing the delay?
Newmont Africa which operates the Newmont Ahafo South Mine, and the upcoming Ahafo North Mine project has expressed its unflinching commitment to deepening relationships and peaceful co-existence with its host communities in Kenya and Ahafo and as such take its corporate social responsibility seriously as evidenced by its contributions to the Newmont Ahafo Development Foundation (NADef) and other direct interventions.
However, concerning the Hwideni-Kenya road, Newmont Ghana Gold (NGGL) and the Ministry of Roads and Highways (MRH) entered into a collaborative agreement for Ghc70.3m to fund the construction of the road on 18 July 2022, with Kofijob Construction Ltd as contractor.
The MRH subsequently held the direct contract with Kofijob Construction. Newmont fulfilled its obligations under the agreement with MRH to provide funding to go towards the upgrading of the 8.2km of road in question.
During 2022 with construction fully in progress, Ghana’s economic conditions worsened, and the Ghana Cedi depreciated against the US dollar. Prices of inputs escalated beyond the limits of the normal price adjustment mechanism contained in agreement between MRH and NGGL.
In addition to all this, a concern was raised that the condition of the road was indeed worse than captured in the initial survey. NGGL again, wishing to ensure speedy completion of the Project, met with MRH to amend the original agreement to increase the NGGL contribution to the Ghana Cedi equivalent of $9.1 million.
This amount represented the full and final contribution from Newmont for the road upgrade. The amended amount approximates to more than $1 million per km, which in our view should have been more than enough to complete the works.
Under the amended agreement with MRH, NGGL has paid Kofijob Constructions Ghc95.4million ($9.1million) as per the agreement.
Concerning the Ntotroso Kenyasi road, NGGL is working with the Ghana Highway Authority (GHAL) to review and understand the scope and the survey data which was received in late May 2023. The review is to understand the quantum of preliminary estimates and to ensure that there is full alignment of the works to be completed.
“Given the ongoing engagements, NGGL is unable to attend the requested meeting of 20 June 2023 but wishes to state our commitment to fully meeting our agreed obligations on the roads”, The Communications and External Affairs Manager of Newmont Ahafo North and South mines, Samuel Osei said.
However, Kofijob Construction Ltd has packed off all its equipment from the project. His reason for doing that was not immediately known although frantic efforts were made to hear his side.
A visit to the company’s construction yard in Hwidiem revealed that the yard was taken over by overgrown grasses and grooves, signalling that the company is not intended to return to the project unless it is forced to do so.
Drastic next steps
In their bid to force the construction company to complete the road, the Ahafo Kenyase Development Association (AKDA), together with relevant stakeholders, including the Paramount Chiefs of Hwidiem, Kenyase 1 & 2, the Youth Associations of the three towns, CSOs and the public would be embarking on a “MEGA PEACEFUL DEMONTRATION” on Thursday 31 August 2023.
A letter dated 28 July, 2023 and signed by the Acting President of AKDA, Nana Akwasi Agyemang, read: “The intention is to present our displeasure to the government and relevant state actors on why the construction of Kenyasi to Hwidiem road has been abandoned for so long, leading to increasing dust from vehicular movements, causing severe respiratory health problems and collapsing businesses along the road”. This planned three hours peaceful demonstration will start at Sam with a parade from Kenyasi lorry station.
They would then match through the principal streets of the twin communities and present our petition to the President of the Republic of Ghana, Nana Addo Danquah Akufo-Addo through the District Chief Executive, the letter said.
The community leaders and the chiefs admitted that Newmont had written a letter to relevant stakeholders explaining the basis for their full payment to Kofi Job Construction Limited. But after receiving the full payment, Kofijob has abandoned the road project.
Part of the road is fixed. But from Kenyasi to Hwidiem before or after the Kenyasi Police Training School upwards to Hwidiem the constructor just put soil there and that is all.
“For over six months now, they said they haven’t seen any sign of the constructor’s coming. So, it is very worrying for the community members”.
A follow-up meeting with the Ministry of Roads and Highways in Accra, represented by the CEO of Ghana Highways Authority has not yielded any meaningful result.
“The CEO of Kofijob Construction Ltd appears not trustworthy. Our understanding therefore is that the government does not care about our communities”.
The $9. 1 million paid by Newmont Ghana Gold for the construction of the road cannot go WASTE. This is NOT government money!! We believe the government has NOT been helpful!!”
Additionally, given that the government reaps substantial revenue from Newmont, we feel hard done-by not only in terms of our bad roads but also in terms of total neglect of several sensitive infrastructure and projects, the letter said.
The communities have no right to sue Kofijob Construction Ltd because they haven’t given the construct to the company. The only people or group who can sue him are those who gave him the construct.
Newmont, which paid the construction money to Kofijob and Ghana Highways Authority and Ministry of Roads and Highways should ensure that Kofijob is booked, according to the community leaders.
They however urged all members of the communities that they should stay calm while the leadership worked harder and harder to make sure that Kofijob came back to complete the road project to ensure peace and harmony in the communities and foster unity between them and Newmont to have peace and mind to operate.
By Masahudu Ankiilu Kunateh, African Eye Report, back from Ahafo Region, Ghana
