Ghanaian road construction company, Joshob Construction Company Limited was adjudged the Road Contractor of the Year at the third West African Construction Awards.
Joshob also won two other awards to make three for the night – Construction Equipment Provider of the Year, and the CEO of the company, James Osei Brown was also adjudged one of the ten top construction executives in West Africa.
James Osei Brown told Adom News they are proud of the awards because Joshob has been committed to delivering quality roads around the country since 1998, and he believes the recognition was in order.
He mentioned some of the projects they have done as Mampomg town roads, Mampong – Nsuta road, Odumase – Otepoli road, Kasoa Western by-pass, Kasoa – Amasaman road, Nyanyano road, Suhum – Asamankese road and many more.
Recently, there was some false news that Joshob did a shoddy job on the Kumasi inner city roads, but James Osei Brown noted that his company was not in charge of the said projects and that his portion of the Kumasi road projects are still ongoing and are due to be completed May ending.
He said the media house, which mistakenly attached his name to the alleged shoddy projects have since corrected the error, saying that Joshob is known for quality work, for which it had gained several recognitions.
The Joshob CEO took advantage of the occasion to caution road contractors against doing shoddy job with the aim of making savings to line their pockets at the expense of the public.
He said “from years of experience I can tell you that there is very little savings you can make on a shoddy job – it is not worth it because you tarnish your own image and destroy lives all for peanuts.”
The multiple award-winning road contractor reminded his colleagues that “we and our loved ones also use the roads we construct so if we do a shoddy job we are putting the lives of our own loved ones at risk.”
James Osei Brown said the greatest satisfaction for a road contractor is not the profit he makes off a project but to see his work stand the test of time.
“Thirteen years ago in 2006, I did the Mampong – Nsuta road and this year I went for a funeral in the area and realized the road is still intact – no potholes or any damage – I was so proud and I felt a great sense of satisfaction,” he said.
He is therefore admonishing his colleagues to focus on delivering quality for their country and stop denying themselves of the priceless satisfaction that comes with that in pursuit of cheap profit.
James Osei Brown said road contractors stand to make more money in the long-term by doing good quality roads instead of doing a shoddy job, “which would in the long run deny you of jobs.”
He also called for strict supervision by regulators to ensure that contractors adhere to contract designs and quality standards.
James Osei Brown however noted that unlike the past, when his dad used to do road contracts, there is huge competition in the industry now and government does not seem to have ready cash to pay all contractors on time.
He said the delayed payments by government is a big challenge to contractors but he has personally learnt to depend on his God to bring him suppliers who are willing to work with him to deliver on projects and get paid much later.
“I survive on the supply of God and he has never disappointed me,” he said.
Meanwhile, several other road construction and real estates companies, as well as individuals won various awards on the night.
Source: Samuel Dowuona