Consultant Throws Out Builsa South DCE

A project consultancy firm seeing to the construction of some proposed school projects in the Builsa South District Assembly of the Upper East Region has rejected a unilateral directive to have the projects relocated to a different place.

According to FASOTA Limited, it is unable to grant the request of the assembly because it has no such power to relocate the schools without approval from the GETFund.

Documents available to The Anchor indicate the projects form part of the Ghana Education Trust Fund’s emergency ventures.

The projects are at Doninga D/A Primary School and Wiesi D/A Primary School, but the assembly wants them moved to the Naadema and Tuedema communities respectively.

But the consultant insists that, the GETFund, which is funding the projects, has the authority to issue the directive for the relocation of the projects if need be.

The firm, in a reply to the DCE, dated December 5, 2022, said that, an earlier letter to the administrator of the fund, showed that the assembly unilaterally took the decision without approval.

“Details of your letter indicate that the assembly has taken the unilateral decision to relocate the two proposed school blocks of the GETFund emergency projects, from Doninga D/A primary school and Wiesi D/A primary school to Naadema and Tuedema communities respectively without approval from GETFund,” the letter said.

FASOTA Limited, in the letter signed by its director, Dr. Sarfo Mensah, said any change in project location can be done only with prior approval from GETFund. It said failure to do such means that the firm will not be able to certify payment on the project.

“As Supervising Consultants, we would like to advise that the project blocks cannot be relocated without approval from GETFund, the funding agency. Without such approval, we will not be able to certify payments on the project,” Dr. Sarfo Mensah explained.

He continued: “As per contractual arrangements and earlier information relayed to the Works Engineer of the Assembly, please note also that, the site possession and commencement meetings at an approved project site, should necessarily be held with the Supervising Consultant’s representation and technical guidance.”

It is however not clear, why the assembly is pushing for the relocation of the projects. Some have suggested it was due to political machinations by the district chief executive (DCE), Daniel Kwame Gariba.

Below Is The Letter From The Firm:

Source: Anchorghana