Mr David Osei Amankwah Jnr, the Managing Director of the David Walter Company, a civil engineering company, has called on the government to prioritize the award of infrastructural projects to local contractors.
He said there were enough local contractors or engineers who possessed same expertise as their foreign counterparts to provide quality work on infrastructure projects in the country.
Mr Amankwah made the call when he launched the 50th anniversary of the company on the theme: “Celebrating 50 Years of Dedicated Work” at Adabraka in Accra.
He said, “We must believe in our own because other countries have followed similar paths and have succeeded exceedingly, and that the perceived narrative of local contractors being inefficient should be erased from the minds of people.”
He called on Ghanaians to have confidence in the indigenous contractors to deliver quality work as expected, adding that when there was faith in the system, actors perform and outperform themselves, which results in the needed quality of work.
He said the construction sector remained a constant driver of the economy, and therefore urged the government to continue to partner the indigenous contractors to develop the infrastructure in the country.
Mr Amankwah said the David Walter Company had come very far to the extent that, it could work as effectively as non-Ghanaian companies could execute projects.
“It was founded on 12th November 1975, has employed over 10,000 workers, which speaks volume of the opportunities such local businesses could create given the chance and opportunity to deliver,” he stated.
Touching on some of the achievements of the company, Mr Amankwah cited projects undertaken over the period to include the concrete works of the Jubilee House, Agricultural Development Bank Head Office, Golden Bean Hotel, Kumasi, Neoplan Service Centre, and sone feeder roads in Kumasi, among others.
He added that over the last 50 years, the company had built over 40 bridges in Ghana, with its footprints in every region of the country, and looking for the next 50 years beyond the shores of Ghana to expand its tentacles.
He commended the workers of the company for their diverse contributions to the growth and success of the company, saying, “The achievement will not have been possible without your contribution, your effort and sense of duty.”
Mr David Rebily Asante, the Chairman of the occasion, congratulated the company and the staff for their dedicated services, which culminated in their success stories.
He said, “Only few companies survive 50 years milestone and management appreciates every single staff because without you, the company cannot pride itself of any chalked successes.”
Mr Asante urged the staff to maintain their dedication and commitment to the cause of their duty, stating that the next 50 years was very crucial and needed all hands-on deck to achieve the intended success.
GNA
