The Ministry of Youth Development and Empowerment George Opare Addo has announced plans to cancel the existing contract for the construction of the Manpontin Astroturf facility and repackage the project for award to a new contractor.
The announcement came in response to questions raised on the floor of Parliament by the Member of Parliament for Kwabre East, Onyina Acheampong, who inquired about when work would resume on the Manpontin Astroturf, a project started by the National Youth Authority (NYA) in 2020.
Minister Opare Addo provided a detailed history of the project and explained why the NYA commended the astroturf facility in the area.
He said “In 2020, the National Youth Authority commended the construction of a community astroturf at Mampongteng in the Kwabre East District to be a vibrant hub for youth development. This innovative project sought to combine recreational facilities, safe space for youth convergence, counselling and training programmes to foster holistic youth growth.”
He added, “The project’s primary objectives were to enhance youth development through sports and entrepreneurship training and empower them to acquire essential life skills to make meaningful contributions to the development of the country.”
The Manpontin Astroturf project was designed to include a 200-seater astroturf park featuring a standardized football pitch, VIP trophy stand, modern changing rooms, secured perimeter fencing, and floodlighting to support evening events.
Minister Opare Addo explained that by March 2023, approximately 60% of the construction had been completed. Key milestones achieved included earthworks, sub-base preparation of the football pitch, partial completion of the VIP trophy stand, installation of the outer perimeter fence, floodlight bases, and inner perimeter fencing.
The contract was awarded on April 22, 2022, to MSS Permanent Supply Group Limited, with a contract value of 2.8 million Ghana cedis and an expected completion timeline of four months.
“To date, the contractor has received 50% of the total contract sum amounting to 1.4 million following the presentation of certificates of work completed by the project consultant,” the minster placed on record.
Despite these initial advances, George Opare Addo noted that the project has faced significant delays due to unforeseen challenges such as changes to the project site.
The Minister emphasized “Mr. Speaker, regrettably, the project has experienced significant delays due to unforeseen challenges including changes to the project site, relocation of adjacent facilities and additional works necessitated by the land topography. Whilst the authority was pursuing approval for additional works, the contractor was instructed to proceed with implementation.”
Minister Opare Addo disclosed that the contractor has since abandoned the site, and all attempts to re-engage have been unsuccessful, effectively halting further progress.
He indicated “The contractor abandoned site and all efforts to re-engage it have proven futile thereby hindering further progress on the project of work.
“Mr. Speaker, to ensure a successful completion of the project, the authority has resolved to cancel the existing contract and repackage the project and award to another contractor,” George Opare Addo disclosed.
The Minister projected that, barring unforeseen circumstances, the project would be completed by the end of 2025.
He stressed “Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the project is expected to be completed by the end of 2025.”
MP Onyina Acheampong inquired about the timeline for resumption of work and whether the contractor had been informed of the contract termination.
The Minister responded “Mr. Speaker. As of this morning, the contractor is yet to be notified. We are doing an assessment of the project and then we will repackage it and based on that we will inform him and then we will terminate it.”
When pressed on the timeline for repackaging and awarding the contract to a new contractor, the Minister stated, “We intend to do it as soon as practicable, and in due time, we will communicate to this House when we are done.”
Source : www.kumasimail.com /Kwadwo Owusu
