Parliament has approved Financial Facility Agreements for the construction of major road networks and bridges in some parts of the country.
The construction will include a Bridge over the Afram River at Adawso – Ekyi Amanfrom, the Bunso -Adawso Road and some specified approach roads to the Adawso Bridge at a total cost of €395 million.
The project is expected to propel greater access to employment opportunities, educational and health facilities, agricultural development, social inclusion and networking by directly or indirectly benefiting approximately 67,260 households in the catchment area.
Chairman of the Finance Committee, Kweku Kwarteng who presented the Committee’s Report to the House on Thursday, February 3, 2022, indicated Government recognises the importance of good road infrastructure as a critical facilitator for rapid socio-economic development of the country through the improvement of accesses, reduction in travel times and congestion, vehicle operating costs and accidents.
He explained that to ensure the operational efficiency of road transport in moving persons, goods and services both within the country and with neighbouring countries, the government has already implemented some major road infrastructure projects and continues to source funding for the implementation of additional critical road projects in line with Government’s infrastructure development agenda.
“The road transport sector is regarded as essential due to the central role it plays in the transportation of people and goods, especially the transportation of farm produce to market centres and for export,” he said.
Hon. Kweku Kwarteng disclosed that the project areas include Kwahu Afram Plains North, South, and Kwahu South Districts of the Eastern Region and in close proximity the Sekyere Afram Plains in the Ashanti Region.
These areas, he said, have great potential to contribute significantly to the improvement of the well-being of the inhabitants and to food security in Ghana through the significant supply of farm produce to consumers in major cities and towns in Ghana.
He noted that the inhabitants of the districts are often almost cut off from the rest of the country due to limited physical access on three sides of the Afram River and lack of connecting roads to other parts of the country, leaving the ferry as the only means of transport.
According to him, the project interventions include the construction of the Adawso – Ekyi Amanfrom Bridge (approximately 3.0km long) and the road between Adawso and Bunso on the N6 (approximately 128km) linking the Afram Plains with the commercial, administrative, health and educational centres.
He stated that the current state of the project roads, spaning Obuoho (Begoro) through Kwahu Tafo to Adawso and from Ekyi Amanfrom to Donkorkrom, is very deplorable while the pavements are deteriorated with potholes at locations hindering the flow of traffic and economic activity and productivity.
“Sections of the road have virtually become death traps, especially at night as drivers may slam into dangerous potholes without warning. Other challenges currently faced on the road include unnecessarily long travel times, high vehicle operating and maintenance cost, dust pollution and poor road safety.”
“Again, there is presently no bridge crossing the Afram River, thereby leaving the ferry as the only veritable source of transport from one end of the River to the other,” he added.
The Committee Chairman noted that to help address these challenges, the roads are to be completely redesigned and reconstructed with the necessary bridges, culverts, drainage, road markings and signages to ensure the roads are fit for vehicular and human use with a bridge of approximately 3.0 km constructed across the Afram River to directly link Adawso to Ekyi Amanfrom.
The project, he said, is in line with the Government’s strategy with emphasis on poverty reduction through increased agricultural production, socio-economic development, strengthening the foundations of sustainable development through the improvement of the social and economic infrastructure and enhancing the enabling environment for private-sector growth.
He added that the project will directly or indirectly complement the government’s committed efforts at achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
He stressed that the project intervention will support the structural transformation that Ghana is undergoing as it moves beyond lower-middle-income status by facilitating the movement of people, goods and services thereby increasing the tempo of economic activities in the project districts