President Nana Akufo-Addo
President Nana Akufo-Addo has revealed that his government has constructed 432 kilometres of roads in the Volta Region since taking office in January 2017.
The President described the road construction as unprecedented when addressing a large durbar of chiefs and people of Anlo State on Saturday to commemorate the 2023 edition of the traditional Hogbetsotso festival.
According to him, the 432km roads include the completion of the dualisation of the 22km Ho main road, the 30km Have to Kpando road, the upgrading of the Golokwati-Wli road, resealing of the 15km Asikuma junction to Ho road, regravelling of the 30km Frankadua to Adidome road, and the surfacing of the 17.8km Matse-Klave and Lume Atsiame-Avetokoe roads.
Other projects are the asphaltic overlay of 15 kilometres of Hohoe town roads, the bitumen surfacing of the 15.6-kilometre Akwetey-Adaklu-Waya feeder road, and the bitumen surfacing of the Bume-Danyigba-Anfoega road, Danyigba town roads, and the Dra-Sabadu road.
The remaining roads include the Bume-Agata road, the 12km Yorkitikpo-Kpoviadzi-Trepe road, the bitumen surface of the 9.7km Mafi-Adadepo, Wute/Yorkitikpo, and Kpoviadzi feeder roads, the 9.7km Liati Agbonyira-Fodome-Ahor road, and the upgrading of 2.5km Klefe town roads.
President Akufo-Addo further stated that work on the 5.3km Ho Bypass dualisation project, which is 37% complete, is continuing, as is work on the upgrading of 8km of selected roads in Ketu South, which is 48% complete.
Concerning the Eastern Corridor Road, the President stated that his administration has completed more work than it came to meet on January 7, 2017, pointing out that only 135 kilometres of the road, representing 27%, had been completed.
“As at the end of 2022, 366 kilometres, which is 74% of the corridor, had improved from poor to good. This has had a positive impact on the movement of goods and people along the corridor,” he added.
He said that the government has terminated the contracts granted to contractors working on the Aflao-Denu-Dzodze-Ave Afiadenyigba-Ave-Dakpa-Ho road, Denu-Havedzi-Keta road, Srogbe-Anyanui road, Agortoe Junction-Tregbui-Adutor road, Anyako-Seva road, and the Weta-Metsrikasa road.
“Most of the contractors, however, failed to carry out the works,” he explained, and added that as a result, the Ministry of Roads and Highways has decided to terminate the current contracts and re-package them for award.
In the short term, the mobile maintenance unit of the Ghana Highway Authority will be deployed to undertake emergency maintenance of the very critical sections of these roads, the President indicated.
He also informed the residents that the government had secured US$89 million in funding from the African Development Bank for the construction of the 29.35-kilometre Asutsuare Junction-Volivo road, the 39.2-kilometre Dufor Adidome-Asikuma Junction road, the 23.9-kilometre Asutsuare Junction-Aveyime road, and two (2) interchanges at Dufor Adidome and Asikuma Junction.
He said that procurement processes were underway, with work set to begin in the first quarter of 2024.
By Ernest Kofi Adu