Adwoa Safo, Kwesi Amoako-Atta and others
Residents of Dome-Kwabenya will not go through the ordeal of travelling on bad roads in the constituency on a daily basis a year from now.
This follows the award of some major roads in the constituency which are in deplorable condition to a contractor, Ghacos Ghana Limited.
The scope of work to be carried out by the contractor includes; construction of 1.5km of dual carriage way from Dome Roundabout to Taifa with provision for roadside drains; construction of ancillary roads to improve traffic management and safety in the area; construction of 750 meters of storm drainage works to reduce the perennial flooding in the area; construction of walkways along the roads to improve pedestrians safety and streetlights to improve visibility at night for both motorists and pedestrians.
Other roads earmarked to benefit from the facelift are Old and New Agbogba, Haatso, Dome Pillar 2 (Ante Mary), Kwabenya and Abokobi.
The cost of the project is GH?19.093 million with contract duration of 12 months.
Commenting on the road project at a sod cutting ceremony in Accra on Wednesday, the Second Deputy Majority Leader and Member of Parliament (MP) for the area, Sarah Adwoa Safo, lauded her constituents for enduring the pain of plying bad roads and also having the patience to wait on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to fix the roads for them.
“If the bad roads within the constituency had been prioritized by the then government led by John Dramani Mahama, they would have fixed it a long time ago to spare me the insults I have received, as well as the ordeal of spending time and resources to organize such an event, she added.
“I also pity your long stay under the scotching sun in search of vehicle to commute to and fro as a result of some drivers’ reluctance to ply the roads because of its bad nature,” she noted.
Ms Safo urged the residents to fully cooperate with the contractor and remove all unwanted structures from the road network to enable him perform his task.
Minister for Roads and Highways, Kwasi Amoako-Atta, told the gathering that roads in the Dome-Kwabenya Constituency serve as link to some other important roads, including the main Accra-Kumasi highway.
He disclosed that President Akufo-Addo was concerned about the deplorable nature of the roads in the area.
“This is unprecedented. This is the first of its kind not only in the Greater Accra Region but for the whole country,” he stated.
Competitive Bidding
The project, he said, was awarded to M. F. Ghacos Ghana Limited after going through a very rigid national competitive bidding process, stressing that “under the leadership of President Akufo-Addo, sole sourcing, selective tendering, price quotation and the likes would be a thing of the past, unless it is absolutely necessary as prescribed under the Public Procurement Act.”
Prompt payment
The Minister promised that under the leadership of President Akufo-Addo, any contract that will be awarded will be backed with money to ensure prompt payment to the contractor after delivery.
He also tasked the monitoring team of the Ministry of Roads and Highways and the Department of Urban Roads to ensure that the project is undertaken to the standards and specification of the Ministry.
“As I have told you, the contract duration is 12 months and the contractor will be under constant pressure to carry out his work so that you, the people of Kwabenya and all those who ply that road, will enjoy the benefit of the road.