Ga South Municipality: Over 1,000 pupils from Galilea M/A Primary School were unable to attend classes after the contractor, Geo’s Anointing Company Limited, locked up the recently constructed six-unit classroom block. The drastic measure was a protest against the government’s failure to settle a six-year-old debt for the building project.
According to Ghana News Agency, the construction of the classroom block began in 2017 and concluded in 2019. However, despite the completion, the contractor has not received the owed payments from the government. Public Relations Officer for Geo’s Anointing Company Limited, Mr. Christopher Newman, stated that the decision to lock the classrooms was a last resort after multiple failed attempts to secure payment. He expressed the firm’s frustration over the prolonged delay and the impact it was having on their operations.
The situation escalated when the pupils arrived at school only to find their classrooms inaccessible. This action has drawn attention from local governmen
t officials, including the Member of Parliament, Mr. Sylvester Mensah, and the Municipal Chief Executive, Mr. Joseph Stephen Nyarni. Both officials have engaged with the contractors, pleading for a grace period of two weeks to address the issue and arrange for the overdue payments. Mr. Newman relayed that the officials promised swift action within the allotted time, failing which the company would resort to locking up the facility again.
The incident has highlighted ongoing challenges in the management of government contracts and the adverse effects of such disputes on community resources and public services.