The government has threatened to report dishonest surveyors and lawyers to the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) for artificially inflating property compensation claims and instigating court injunctions that stall major road construction across the country.
Minister for Roads and Highways, Hon. Governs Kwame Agbodza, issued the warning during an inspection tour of the Sewia and Lake Road project in the Ashanti Region today.
He revealed that opportunistic third parties are persuading Project Affected Persons (PAPs) to reject state valuations by promising four-to-six-fold payout increases in exchange for heavy commission cuts.
The Minister noted that while most affected residents accept official valuations, illegal interference and localised resistance have severely hampered key infrastructure projects, including the crucial Konongo bypass along the Accra-Kumasi corridor.
”The percentage of money that goes to those people depends on how much they promise they can get,” the Minister stated, addressing the parasitic nature of the practice.
“So the higher they jack up the price, the more money they get. Very soon, EOCO will be at your door to actually justify why you think you can get that project-affected person four times the amount,” he warned.
Beyond financial manipulation, the Minister highlighted physical violence obstructing civil works.
Workers for contractor Kofi Job Construction were recently assaulted by armed individuals while attempting to resume work on the Konongo bypass, currently one of the worst traffic bottlenecks along the trunk route.
Despite the security and legal setbacks, the government affirmed its commitment to complete all major bypass projects by its 2027 self-imposed deadline, reassuring the public that the new Accra-Kumasi Expressway will complement, rather than abandon, existing transit routes.
To address systemic vulnerabilities in valuation disputes, the Roads Minister said the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources is finalising a bill for Parliamentary consideration aimed at strictly regulating the land surveying profession.
Meanwhile, the Ashanti Regional Minister, Dr Frank Amoakohene, stated that he will engage traditional leaders and affected residents at the Regional Coordinating Council to find lasting solutions to security concerns.
”If we have to escort the contractor with security, we have to do that,” Dr Amoakohene highlighted. Adding that “But ahead of that, we have to engage all the stakeholders and give those assurances that every land that has been taken will definitely be compensated. We can’t allow Konongo to be in the state that it is in now.”
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