Public Works Ministry spends $19B in six months

Sep 12, 2022 News

Kaieteur News – Having received the largest share of this year’s budget, the Ministry of Public Works out of its $96 billion budgetary allocation expended just about $19.6 billion in the first half of the year. This is according to the recently released Ministry of Finance – Mid-Year Report.

The Mid-Year Report showed that out of the $88 billion the Ministry received for capital expenditure, $16.6 billion was spent in just six months while out of the $8 billion it received for current expenditure, $2.9 billion was expended at mid-year.

The Ministry which carries out majority of the country’s infrastructural projects, the report stated that in the first half of the year, the sum of $3.1 billion was spent to advance the rehabilitation and construction of several community roads in Regions Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, and 10 under the Miscellaneous and Urban Roads Programme.

Meanwhile, under the Hinterland Roads Programme, the report revealed that  $1.2 billion was expended on projects including the rehabilitation of Moruca Main Access Road Phase 3, Mabaruma to Hosororo, Orealla to Kwakwani, 5 Mile Housing Scheme Road, Mahdia Main Access Road, Tabatinga Drive (internal roads), and Mabura to Mango Landing.

While the Mid-Year Report detailed briefly how the $19B was being spent, for example on the different road programmes, it should be noted that from the 2022 budget, the sum of $15B was approved for the Miscellaneous Road programme while $3.4B was approved for the hinterlands roads.

Further, with works on the US$260M Demerara River Bridge slated to commence in the second of the year, the report stated that the Ministry spent on the existing Demerara Harbour Bridge, a sum of $320M during the first half of the year to rehabilitate two pontoons. For the existing bridge, the government had allocated a sum of $946M for maintenance and rehabilitation works.

Also within the first half, $1.7B was expended on critical bridges across the country. Noteworthy, is the commencement of the rehabilitation of 32 bridges along the Kurupukari to Lethem Road corridor which are expected to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2022 and the completion of construction of the main bridges at Garden of Eden, Chateau Margot, Beterverwagting, and Cemetery Road.

As it relates to air transport projects, it was revealed that during the first half, the Ministry expended $207M of the $600M investment allocated for the rehabilitation and maintenance of hinterland airstrips while rehabilitative works are expected to commence on hinterland airstrips located at Eteringbang, Karisparu and Ekereku Bottom in the third quarter. For river transport projects, with regard to the stellings, a sum of $32 million was expended from an allocation of $456 million which saw the rehabilitation of the Fort Island Stelling in the first half of 2022.

Meanwhile, for Sea and River Defence projects, the Ministry of Finance report highlighted that during the first half of 2022, $1.8 billion was expended from an allocation of $5 billion for the maintenance, rehabilitation and construction of sea and river defence. “To date, all the projects under the 2022 programme have been awarded and works are underway. These works were expected to be completed during the second half of the year,” the report added.

While approximately, $77B left remaining from the Ministry’s budget at the end of June, in August the Ministry had acquired an additional $4.4B from the Supplementary budget to facilitate the rollout of its projects. The $4.4B as reported, $3B was approved for miscellaneous roads and drainage projects, $550M was approved for the sea and river defence works, $525M was approved for the East Coast to East Bank road linkage project, $233M will cater for works on the existing Harbour Bridge, and $131M was approved for the reconditioning of ferry vessels. In total, the Public Works Ministry has received $100B to execute works under its portfolio.