Contractor abandoned work after taking ¢4.5m for Covid-19 treatment centre in Nalerigu – Auditor- General

The Auditor-General has cited Makro Structures Limited for abandoning a Covid-19 isolation and treatment centre project in Nalerigu of the North East Region.

According to the Audit Service, the contractor was awarded the ¢15 million project by government on May 11, 2020, and was charged to complete it in October 2022.

It was subsequently paid GH¢4.5 million which constitutes 30 per cent of the full amount to commence the designing, construction and equipping of the centre.

However, the Auditor-General in its latest report into government’s Covid-19 expenditure between March 2020 and June 2022, indicated that Makro Structures Limited upon starting works in October 2021 undertook civil works up to 10 per cent and abandoned the site in December 2021.

“Written communication from the Director of the Infrastructure Directorate, reveals that the Director had made several efforts to get the contractor to the site, but the contractor was unwilling to continue.

“The absence of a performance bond has contributed to the difficulty in recovering the amount paid to the contractor for non-performance,” parts of the audit report read.

The Auditor-General, Johnson Akuamoah Asiedu, further noted that the abandonment impeded government’s effort to provide a treatment and holding centre in the North East Region.

He, however, recommended that the Chief Director should recover the mobilisation amount, terminate the contract and re-award the construction of the project to a more committed contractor. Myjoyonline