President Ali warns contractors over project delays

– emphasises discipline, accountability 

President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali met with cabinet members, contractors, permanent secretaries, and engineers at State House on Tuesday morning to address significant delays in government projects.

During the meeting, which was conveyed at 5:00 a.m., President Ali delivered a stern reminder that the country cannot afford ongoing project setbacks.

“There is absolutely no excuse for these delays,” the President stated, stressing the need for discipline and accountability.

The meeting revealed that some delays stemmed from external factors, such as inaccessible project sites.

Some contractors, particularly in Region Three, stated that they had not received their project commencement letters, a requirement before starting any project.

President Ali expressed dissatisfaction with both the contractors and project engineers for what he deemed ‘a lack of focus and energy.’

He said, “There are certain basic things necessary in conditioning your minds to be successful…the first thing is positivity, what time of energy you demonstrate.

“From his very meeting, the approach from some of the contractors and the engineers, tell me that the right balance of energy is not exiting for an effect project management environment.”

President Ali stated that it is not only the duty of the ministry’s project engineers to manage deadlines; contractors must also ensure they are managing deadlines with their staff.

He further reminded the contractors of the government’s commitment to meeting community needs and expectations.

“We have to face communities out there and communities have expectations,” he lamented.  

The President has therefore issued a stern warning, advising contractors with existing unfinished projects not to bid for new ones.

“If you have projects to be completed finish them before you bid again because you will find yourself not being able to bid because you will be blacklisted,” President Ali cautioned.

He went on to say, “all of the projects that have not been completed before the end of the year will be terminated.

President Ali highlighted the urgency of completing projects by the end of the current budget cycle, warning that failure to do so would place a burden on next year’s budget.

“Everything has an implication, your slothfulness and inability to complete your project has a fiscal implication,” he said.

Since assuming office in 2020, the government has invested billions of dollars in large-scale infrastructure projects, alongside urgent community initiatives.

President Ali along with his cabinet members has been visiting communities across the country to address critical infrastructure upgrades.

As a result, there is an urgent need for projects to be completed in a timely manner, ensuring that delays do not hinder progress and that resources can be allocated to new projects.