President Nana Akufo-Addo
PRESIDENT AKUFO-Addo yesterday touted his government’s achievement in the road sector, asserting that the road infrastructure established in the country under his leadership is unparalleled and unprecedented in the Fourth Republic.
“We have never seen so much in the roads sector. Let’s put it as far as the Fourth Republic is concerned. The Roads Minister likes to say, since independence.
“I just want to be a little more modest and compare apples and apples, and not apples and oranges. And I am saying that the roads infrastructure that has taken place under Akufo-Addo’s NPP government is without equal in this Fourth Republic,” the President stated in Upper West Region.
He was responding to questions during an interview on Radio Upper West as part of his two-day working tour of the Upper West Region.
According to him, the Upper West Region alone has 18 road projects completed since 2017, and that 110 more road projects are currently ongoing.
President Akufo-Addo said the government intended to repackage and award the Wa-Tumu road, noting that the Han-Tumu section of the road has been re-scoped and awarded to five different contractors.
He named them as PW Ghanem Limited, Maripoma Limited, Mawums Construction, Ashcal Limited, and Greenhouse Company Limited, adding that the project will be completed in 24 months.
President Akufo-Addo indicated that the Wa-Hamile road has been tarred for the first time in the history of the country, asserting, these projects are ample testimonies the year of roads mantra “was not just a slogan.”
He argued that the mantra had been translated into reality, with the programme registering success.
He said his government had also dramatically expanded the road network of the country.
“Obviously when you’re starting from zero, when you get to four, it doesn’t look as if you’ve got very far, but from zero to four in itself is a big movement, and when you get to five, six or seven, then you realise that you’re beginning to succeed,” he intimated.
The President said despite the present financial difficulties of the country, the government was making “a big effort to try and resolve these problems.”
“Contractors are not going to be left high and dry. At the end of the day, if they don’t get paid, the development of our road infrastructure stalls. Things are going to work out, they are definitely going to work out,” he pledged.
Whilst in Wa, President Akufo-Addo paid a courtesy call on the overlord of the Wa Traditional Area, Naa Fuseini Seidu Pelpuo IV.
He also inspected ongoing work on the Youth Resource Centre at Wa, which is nearing completion.
Upper West Roads
The Ministry of Roads and Highways signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with M/S Zhougmei Engineering Limited to undertake the dualisation of the Wa main road from S.D. Dombo University of Business and Integrated Development Studies to the Wa Airport.
The project involves the rehabilitation of 130km of selected roads in the Upper West Region.
So far, the Ghana Highway Authority has completed eight projects in the Upper West Region, totaling 107km, according to the Roads and Highways Ministry.
Some of the projects are the surfacing of Kaleo-Sankana-Takpo (12.5km); construction of Wa-Han (10km) and the upgrading of Nadwoli-Lawra-Hamile (42.6km).
Being funded by DANIDA, two major bridges at Kulun (over River Kulpawn) and Ambarala (over River Ambarala) have been completed, the ministry said, pointing out that this had eased mobility along the Bulenga-Yaala-Kundugu route.
“These have improved travel time along the road corridor. Communities that were cut off during the rainy season now have all weather roads,” the ministry indicated.
There are currently 22 trunk road projects ongoing in the region covering 503km of the network at various stages of completion.
Some of these include the 57km Wa-Walewale road, the 22km Wa-Han road, and the construction of a steel bridge over River Gongonwu on the Wa-Walewale road.
Approval has also been granted to launch a mabey bridge at Kamba in the Lawra District on the Lawra-Nandom road to replace a damaged bridge at the location.
“Additionally, a new bridge will be constructed at Domwene on the Jirapa-Hamile Road (N12),” the ministry said.
The Department of Feeder Roads has also completed eight projects totaling 45.7km on the network, mainly in the form of rehabilitation and spot improvement.
The Department is currently implementing 64 projects covering 1,409km of feeder roads, and the region is also benefiting from the 670km World Bank funded rehabilitation and maintenance of farm roads using Output and Performance Based Contract (OPRC) method.
Under this system, the contractor is responsible for the design of the roads and also undertakes the construction, and maintains the roads beyond two years, the ministry indicated.
By Ernest Kofi Adu