Deputy Minister for Trade and Industry and Member of Parliament for New Juaben South in the Eastern Region, Michael Okyere Baafi has expressed concerns over the roads in Koforidua, the Regional capital.
According to him, over 80% of roads in Koforidua have been awarded on contract, adding that very soon contractors will be on site to fix the roads.
The MP said this during a press conference held at the party office in response to a threat by a group calling itself Koforidua Development Advocates (KDA), who are threatening to embark on a demonstration come June 8, 2023, over deteriorating roads in New Juaben South and North Municipalities.
Speaking at the press conference, the MP said, “from last year 2022 and throughout this year 2023, through our concerted efforts all town roads, including ancillary, auxiliary and tributary roads in New Juaben South are already planned to be fixed. More than 80% of the roads in Koforidua have been given out on contracts and contractors will soon move to the site to start and complete their work”.
The MP, who duly appreciated residents’ intended demonstration for road rehabilitation; added that” Their demonstration has only come at a time the road projects are already in the offing. Maybe, we can call it coincidence but a lot has already gone on behind the curtains. In the coming weeks, residents of New Juaben South will begin to smile”.
The Deputy Minister for Trade and Industry added that “over the years, significant endeavors have been made by the Eastern Regional Minister, Municipal Chief Executive, and myself as Member of Parliament for New Juaben South to ensure that all roads in Koforidua get fixed’’.
He added that ‘’As MP and by dint of hard work I have personally lobbied for the construction of roads in Nyamekrom, Magazine, and Trom which roads were not initially part of Government’s initial earmarked projects for the constituency. But as this year has been declared the year of roads, my humble plea was graciously acceded to and work has started on these otherwise abandoned roads”.
He said that “it is important to note that I have been consistently advocating for the government to prioritize the rehabilitation of Koforidua roads, and I have been actively engaging with constituents on this matter through various media engagements, especially on Mondays’’.
Okyere Baafi stated that the construction of Koforidua roads was delayed due to the IMF programme stating now that Ghana has secured the IMF deal government intends to embark on massive road projects including that of Koforidua roads.
On Street and traffic lights, he noted that ‘’For ages, the traffic lights have not been functioning, and motorists in my constituency, especially commercial drivers, have been consistently appealing to me to restore the traffic lights’’.
He explained that ‘’As an MP, my call is to respond to the needs of my constituents as soon as practicable. I, therefore, purchased control boards after technical advice and stood on my feet for hours to ensure that technicians worked tirelessly to restore the traffic lights. Today, we are happy to see that all the main traffic lights in the New Juaben South Municipality have been fixed’’.
BY Daniel Bampoe