Project Failure in the Road Construction Industry of Ghana

Abstract

Project failure is of a major concern such that it has been discussed in thirty-two global journals and counting (Habibi & Kermanshachi, 2018). Despite the construction industry being considered as a mature project-based industry, it has been faced with difficulties. The road construction industry provides numerous benefits such as the easy conveyance of goods and people to their destinations, hence, a failure in road construction will go a long way to affect the entire economy. This study measured road project failure in terms of cost, time and scope. Using the social constructivism paradigm through interviews, the study investigated project failure in the road construction industry of Ghana. Various road projects under the jurisdiction of the Ghana Highway Authority were used as the basis of the study. This study revealed that even though there are numerous determinants that account for the occurrence of the failure factors (cost failure, time failure and scope failure) in extant literature, cost failure was caused by lack of resources, inadequate skills and price fluctuations of construction materials, while time failure was caused by financial constraints, unfavourable environmental conditions and bureaucracy with scope failure being caused by unrealistic scope, political interference and poor planning. The research recommended that all road project stakeholders should come on board to ensure that issues are dealt with wholly and completely so that road projects can be constructed within budget, on time and within the stakeholder’s expectations and requirements.