Minister lauds local construction firm on Eastern Corridor Road

Mr Francis Asenso-Boakye, the Minister of Roads and Highways, has commended First Sky Construction, an indigenous civil engineering firm, for sustaining the progress of works on the Eastern Corridor Road.The 697-km road would serve as a shorter, more direct conduit to the northern part of the country, when completed, and facilitate trade convoys from landlocked countries that depend on the Port of Tema.First Sky took over some sections of the road after construction work stalled, and so the Minister, during a recent duty tour to the project site, commended the company for keeping the project in progress.It is known to sustain work on the road throughout the period, completing the five kilometres Asikuma to Have stretch initially awarded to a Chinese firm.The company also sealed the pothole-ridden stretch from Atimpoku to Asikuma, greatly improving travel time to the Volta and Oti regions.The Roads Minister inspected progress at the various lots of the project and lauded the dedication and quality of work of the Ghanaian company.'Until the Government's intervention, most part of that road was in a very deplorable state where motorists found it difficult to ply the road,' he said.'But as we speak, as a result of the interventions by the Government, the contract awarded to the indigenous contractor - a very good contractor, First Sky Company Limited, the road is in a very good condition now and the contractor is working actively.''The site is about 56 per cent complete and I'm very confident that the contractor will work within the schedule and complete the work.'The Minister admonished other contractors to expedite work, asking the Highways Authority to monitor contractors to ensure continuous progress and roll out the Ve Golokwati to Hohoe section, which had long remained unmotorable.The Minister began his tour with the inspection of the completed resealing of the Atimpoku to Asikuma road and visited the recently flooded road culvert at Juapong where he instructed the Highways Authority to under take dredging and other maintenance works to avert future flooding.Mr Asenso-Boakye earlier viewed the dualisation of the 10.5km main road to the Volta Regional capital, Ho, which was completed last year, and inspected works on the Ho By-pass, also being built by First Sky.The project involves the internal roads of the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS).First Sky has significant stakes in subsequent sections of the Eastern Corridor, with significant progress in the Oti Region and beyond.Mr Oliver Techie Acquah, the Chief Executive Officer of the Company, said several kilometres of the Asikuma Have stretch, constructed in 2016, would be redone to correct the defects, and that a project extension was being sought.He gave the assurance of the highest quality of work to be delivered to the letter and within the stipulated time.Owned by business magnate, Mr Eric Kutortse, the company is part of a conglomerate that includes finance and hospitality industries in the country.Source: Ghana News Agency