President Akufo-Addo cutting the sod for the construction
President Akufo-Addo yesterday cut the sod for construction work to start on the 24.3 kilometres Kojina-Chirano-Etwebo Akoti road, a major access route that links the Western South to Western North in the Western Region.
The GH¢41million road project would boost cocoa, gold production and other agricultural and economic activities in the area after completion.
Messrs Volta Impex is the contractor for the project that will take two years to complete.
According to the contractor, the total package of the project would include the Chirano-Dominase Junction-Bosombuenso road.
It would also include the Chirano Junction-Chirano road while the main corridor would be from Subri Nkwanta-Chirano-Akoti road.
The sod cutting was part of President Akufo-Addo’s three-day tour of the Western Region.
President Akufo-Addo exchanging greetings with the chiefs
This follows the completion of a similar tour undertaken in the Brong Ahafo and the Ashanti Regions.
Addressing a durbar of chiefs at Sefwi Chirano, President Akufo-Addo reiterated government’s commitment to develop the country’s road infrastructure as a catalyst for development.
He told the people that during the 2016 electioneering campaign, he promised to fix the bad roads in the region, particularly the ones in the northern parts of the region and the cocoa growing areas to help boost cocoa production.
“I have come to thank you for voting massively for me and the Member of Parliament for the area, Kingsley Aboagye Gyedu, during the 2016 general elections; this means you are part of my government”, he stated.
He promised that the deteriorated roads in the Sefwi Bibiani area would be tarred alongside the project in response to the people’s request.
He pointed out that the funds for the road project were ready and that he was expecting that in two years time he would be in the Chirano area to officially commission the road.
“We are delivering on all our promises. We promised to implement the free Senior High School policy, re-introduce the nurses’ and teacher training allowances, revive the National Health Insurance Scheme policy and other social intervention programmes, and we have delivered”, he told the mammoth crowd.
He continued “Our opponents said we could not fulfill the promises because they left nothing in the nation’s kitty but we are determined to develop the economy to help improve the living standards of all Ghanaians.
“Government is determined to improve the standard of living of the people of the Western Region as the area provides greater percentage of the nation’s cocoa”.
Galamseys
On the issue of illegal mining also called “galamsey,” the President was enthused about the massive support the chiefs in the mining areas had given him in the fight against the illegal activity.
He indicated that the galamsey fight was aimed at protecting the country’s water bodies and degradation of its arable lands.
He promised that measures had been put in place to streamline activities of licensed small scale miners and that very soon, the ban on small scale mining would be lifted.
Free SHS
He pointed that the government’s free SHS policy had come to stay and that some funds were available for the completion of Community Day Senior High Schools which were started by the previous government.
The President of the Western Regional House of Chiefs, Nana Yaw Gyebi II, in his welcome address, indicated that the road project when completed would improve upon their productivity.
He gave the assurance that the project would be properly supervised to ensure value for money.
Omanhene of the Sefwi Chirano Traditional Area, Okogyeman Kwaku Gyamprah III, indicated that that had been the very first time such consideration and effort had been demonstrated by a head of state to get their roads constructed.
He was optimistic that the road construction would bring some relief to farmers in transporting their produce to the urban centres.
Okogyeman Kwaku Gyamprah III took the opportunity to appeal to the President to complete works on a community senior high school in the Chirano town.
From Emmanuel Opoku, Sefwi Chirano