The presidential convoy struggling through Mahama’s constructed Eastern corridor road
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has promised to fix, in his tenure, the controversial Eastern Corridor road which has become dangerous to use.
Admitting that the road was bumpy and in a very bad shape, the President observed that it was disingenuous for his predecessor, former President Mahama and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) who consider the Volta Region as its stronghold to make empty promises to the people.
Addressing the chiefs and people of mid-Volta in Hohoe on the second day of his tour of the region, the President assured that his government is committed to fixing the road to bring comfort to the people who use and live along it, particularly the people of the Volta Region.
President Akufo-Addo could not fathom why the former president would claim to have constructed unprecedented infrastructure, yet throughout his (Nana Addo) nationwide tour he has encountered very bad roads with the Volta portion of the Eastern corridor road being so bumpy it was impossible for one travelling on it to sleep.
He stressed: “I said that President Mahama was saying that the period of his office has seen infrastructure development that we had never seen in Ghana before; unprecedented infrastructure development. I hope you remember this expression, unprecedented. And then I said that I don’t see this unprecedented development. Everywhere I go I am on bad roads.”
Recounting a jab by former President Mahama that he (Nana Addo) was asleep as he travelled the country hence could not see the unprecedented development projects scattered across the country, President Nana Addo said “Today I have come on the eastern corridor road and I didn’t sleep one inch. “Today I have come on the eastern corridor road and I didn’t sleep one inch. I couldn’t sleep,” demonstrating how his experience was and how his vehicle moved; he quizzed, “Bubum, bubum, bubum, bubum, bubum, how can I sleep on this road?”
That notwithstanding, he said it was a good experience for him; “That is why I want to go out and see for myself what is going on, to have firsthand experience of what citizens go through and solve their challenges faster and better.”
The Eastern Corridor Road
The Eastern corridor road is among one of the key roads that has huge economic impact on the country. It is also the shortest route to the Northern part of Ghana as it can save travellers 144 kilometres should they use it instead of traveling through Kumasi. This is because the Central corridor road which starts from Accra through Kumasi to Paga in the North is 814km while the Eastern Corridor Road is 670km.
The road which starts from the Tema roundabout in Accra, traverses at least five districts and four regions, Greater Accra, Eastern, Volta and the Northern region, with the Volta region covering the longest portion. It is estimated that the road when completed will lead to rapid development of the region.
However, this aspiration has been a mirage for several years, as successive governments, particularly, the erstwhile NDC government, which refers to the region as its “world bank,” has been lackadaisical in getting the road completed.
From Fred Duodu, Hohoe (k.duodu@yahoo.com)