The Minister for Roads and Highways, Governs Kwame Agbodza, says the government is considering referring two quantity surveyors to the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) over alleged attempts to manipulate compensation claims involving properties affected by road projects.

According to the Minister, some surveyors allegedly persuade project-affected persons to reject valuations conducted by government agencies, while promising to secure compensation payments several times higher than the original assessments.

He said the practice was draining public funds and causing avoidable delays to road construction projects.

“We are looking at the possibility of reporting two of those people to EOCO for investigation,” Mr Agbodza said.

He warned that surveyors who deliberately encourage property owners to reject government valuations in anticipation of securing inflated compensation could face investigation.

The Minister made the remarks during an inspection of asphalt works on the two-kilometre Feyiase-Sewua Regional Hospital access road in the Ashanti Region. The project is being undertaken by Kofi Job Construction Limited.

Mr Agbodza urged owners whose properties are affected by road projects to rely on assessments conducted by authorised government institutions instead of engaging private surveyors to renegotiate compensation.

He alleged that some individuals approach property owners after government valuation teams have completed their work and persuade them to turn down the amounts offered, claiming they can secure substantially higher payments.

He further said such interventions sometimes result in affected persons seeking court injunctions, thereby holding up projects and increasing costs to the state.

The Minister questioned how private surveyors could arrive at valuations significantly above those prepared by professionals working with the Ghana Highway Authority, the Department of Urban Roads and other state institutions.

He noted that the professionals involved in the assessments are trained in the same field and are subject to established valuation procedures.

Mr Agbodza, however, assured property owners that the government would continue to compensate persons whose properties are acquired for road projects in accordance with the law.

He commended project-affected persons who had cooperated with the government during compensation processes for the Accra-Kumasi Expressway and other road projects.

The Minister stressed that concerns over inflated compensation claims were not peculiar to the Ashanti Region, saying similar challenges had been encountered in Accra and other parts of the country.