George Jatta, the Technical Director at the National Road Authority
By Ramatoulie Jawo
The National Road Authority (NRA) faced a grilling by the National Assembly’s monitoring committee on Tuesday, outlining challenges that threaten to stall road projects. Topping the list was insufficient equipment, a shallow pool of qualified contractors, and a chronic funding crunch.
During the presentation on project status and challenges, George Jatta, the Technical Director at the National Road Authority, shed light on some significant challenges faced by the institution. One major issue highlighted was the inadequate equipment possessed by contractors and the scarcity of contractors in the country.
Jatta explained that some contractors operate with only a single set of equipment, leading to sluggish progress when assigned multiple road projects. This has resulted in delays in ongoing road maintenance programs. The equipment owned by local contractors is often outdated, leading to frequent breakdowns and hindering work progress.
“Some of the contractors have only one set of equipment each which contributes to the slow work progress when awarded more than one road, this has resulted in delays on some of the current road maintenance programs being implemented. The equipment owned by the local contractor is old and often breaks down. The old equipment slows down the progress of work,” he highlighted.
Moreover, Jatta pointed out that a majority of contractors registered with the National Road Authority (NRA) lack sufficient trained staff and financial resources for their projects. Funding emerged as a consistent challenge for road maintenance efforts.
Despite the existence of a functional road fund financed through a fuel levy (D1/liter), Jatta highlighted that most of the funds are directed towards development projects. This diversion of funds could adversely affect the condition of roads slated for maintenance, facing delays due to insufficient funding.
“Although there is an established and operational road fund in place being funded through the fuel levy (D1/liter), most of the funding is being used for development projects. This will have a negative impact on the condition of the roads as most roads due for maintenance will have to be delayed due to insufficient funding,” he highlighted.
Jatta highlighted a critical issue concerning the non-receipt of funds allocated to the roads fund, as mandated by the NRA Act 2003, amended in 2007. In response to these challenges, he proposed recommendations aimed at addressing the situation. Jatta suggested that the authority should acquire road construction equipment through government assistance, enabling leasing to contractors when needed. Additionally, he recommended making arrangements for the procurement of materials such as grade basalt and fuel to prevent unnecessary delays caused by material shortages.
“Furthermore, arrangements should be made to be procuring materials grave basalt, and fuel, for the contractors to avoid unnecessary delays due to shortage of materials,” he said.