Bono Regional Minister Justina Owusu-Banahene has touted the achievements of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government headed by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and the strides it is taking to ensure the socio-economic and political development of the Bono Region.
According to her, since coming into office in 2017, the government has set its priority on three key sectors namely transport, health and education and has since embarked on numerous projects to complement its effort.
The Region, she said, had been bedevilled by a number of challenges including poor road networks that impede economic activities, and inadequate health and educational infrastructure among others.
She stated the government set about addressing the challenges after an in-depth analysis of the challenges indicated the topmost priorities of the citizenry of the region were roads, education, health and air infrastructural development.
Hon. Justina Owusu-Banahene disclosed these in a presentation she made at the Minister’s Press Briefing on the achievements of the NPP government in the Region at the Ministry of Information on Thursday, September 15, 2022.
Road infrastructure
The NPP, she said, recognized the gap in the road sector after the assumption of office in 2017 and therefore prioritized the construction of new roads as well as reshaping existing bad roads.
According to her, the total road network for the Bono Region is 4,700km comprising highways, urban and feeder Roads.
She indicated that the Ghana Highway Authority is currently involved with 13 road projects with a total length of 342.3 kilometres under various categories of upgrading, rehabilitation, and asphalt overlay while reconstruction of 27 critical drainage structures and speed rumps have been completed.
These critical works, she said, include the Upgrading of the Menji-Bui Road which is a thirty (30) kilometre stretch, which has been fully completed; the Upgrading of the Nkrankwanta-Kaase Road (10km), Remedial Works on Dormaa Ahenkro -Nkrankwanta Road (6km) and upgrading of Nkrankwanta Roads (3km) on-going and the upgrading of the Dormaa Ahenkro-Baabianiha Road, Atronie – Mim Road, and Ahafo Kenyasi – Asukese – Mim with a total length of 62.5 kilometres under the Cocoa Roads Projects among many others.
She stated that Berekum, Dormaa and Sunyani among other towns have had their road networks asphalted to ease transportation from the farm gates to the various towns and cities across the region and the country as a whole.
She averred that other critical transport infrastructures that have been worked upon along with the road constructions include walkways and pavements, streetlights, modern transport terminals, waiting lounge, police post, ambulance bay, fire post, and electricity among others.”
Air transport
She stated that in 2019 government and the Ghana Airports Company Limited jointly funded the Phase 1 of the Sunyani Airport Rehabilitation Project at a cost GH¢52.5 million after operations at the airport was shut down in 2016 due to concerns caused visible deterioration of the airside pavement.
“I am happy to report that the Airport is ready for use and Passion Air is set to make its maiden flight on Monday, 19th September 2022.
“While the re-opening of the Airport will open up the economic growth potential of the region, as well as ease travelling time from Sunyani to Accra, which takes an average of 8 to 10 hours, we see this as an opportunity to promote eco and cultural tourism in the Bono Region and beyond. And for that, we are very grateful, Mr. President.”
Health
The Bono Minister disclosed that the health sector in the Region has also witnessed significant improvement in the staffing of key medical professionals.
According to her, a doctor-to-population ratio of 1:14,896 has significantly reduced to 1:10,395 while the midwife to women fertility age ratio has also improved from 1:1,502 to 1:372 in 2022.
48 health and health-related projects have also been undertaken in the region with the assemblies also complementing government efforts by providing CHIPS facilities, classrooms for nursing institutions and construction of hospital wards.
The region, she said, is also a beneficiary of three Agenda 111 projects some of which have started.
“Some completed projects are the 60 Bed Capacity Hospital in Tain District, CHPS Compound with Staff Accommodation at Kofiasua in the Dormaa Central Municipality and the Benkasa Health Centre in the Berekum West District.”
Education
Hon. Justina Owusu-Banahene indicated that in the education sector 50 classroom projects out of a total of 78 have been completed including dormitories.
The Regional, municipal and district Directors of Education, she said, have been allocated vehicles to enhance their official duties.
Regional, municipal and district offices have also been fitted with wireless internet connectivity to aid in effective educational management.
“500 girls from the region have also been trained in ICT to help them match up with their male counterparts in the use of ICT tools in learning.”
“A total of 2,951 laptops have also been supplied in 2021 to teachers in the 35 secondary and technical and TVET schools in the region under the ‘one teacher one laptop initiative,” she stated.