The Minister for Roads and Highways, Governs Kwame Agbodza, has disclosed that the government is considering reporting two quantity surveyors to the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) over alleged attempts to inflate compensation claims for properties affected by road projects.
According to him, some surveyors allegedly encourage project-affected persons to reject government valuations and promise to secure compensation several times higher than the amounts assessed by state agencies.
Mr Agbodza said the practice has cost the state significant sums of money and contributed to unnecessary delays in the execution of road projects.
“We are looking at the possibility of reporting two of those people to EOCO for investigation,” he said.
“So if you are part of those people, anytime we do valuation, you tell people don’t accept it, we’ll get you four times, and then you delay the project, very soon EOCO will be at your door.”
The Minister was speaking during an inspection of asphalt works on a two-kilometre access road linking Feyiase to the Sewua Regional Hospital in the Ashanti Region.
The road is being constructed by Kofi Job Construction Limited.
Mr Agbodza also appealed to residents whose properties are affected by road projects to rely on valuations conducted by authorised government agencies rather than engage external surveyors to renegotiate compensation.
He said some individuals allegedly approach affected property owners after government officials have completed their assessments and persuade them to reject the valuations.
“Some people in our country approach those people and tell them not to accept the values that are being given to you. We can give you four, five, six times the amount that the government is offering you,” he said.
According to the Minister, such individuals sometimes encourage affected persons to seek court injunctions against projects, resulting in delays.
“As a result, we have lost so much money, and sometimes the projects are delayed needlessly because of the behaviour of some of these people,” he said.
Mr Agbodza questioned how independent surveyors could arrive at valuations significantly higher than those conducted by surveyors working with the Ghana Highway Authority and other government agencies.
“The people who value these properties from the Ghana Highway Authority, Urban Roads and others are the same surveyors; they went to the same school. How come when they finish their evaluation, somebody comes and tells the project-affected people, I can get you four times that amount of money ‘?” he asked.
He said the government would continue to pay compensation to property owners whose properties are affected by road projects, in accordance with the law.
The Minister thanked project-affected persons who had cooperated with the government during compensation processes for the Accra-Kumasi Expressway and other road projects.
He said the problem was not limited to the Ashanti Region but occurred in Accra and other parts of the country.