Petroleum Tanker drivers can heave a sigh of relief as government is set to begin the construction of the 5.4km road from the VALCO Round About to the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) depot area. The construction, which will be done in 24months is expected to begin in two weeks’ time.
This was disclosed by the deputy minister for Roads and Highways, Hon. Stephen Jalulah, when the Chief Executive (CE) of the National Petroleum Authority, Dr. Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, took officials of the Ministry of Roads to the Tanker Yard in front of the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) to enable them assess the extent of deterioration of the road stretching from the Valco roundabout to the depot areas around TOR.
The CE of NPA, Dr. Abdul-Hamid, undertook this visit as part of his engagements with stakeholders in the downstream petroleum industry. The deplorable nature of the road has been a source of worry for tanker drivers, who had served notice of their intention to abandon their trucks from Monday, 26th July, 2021 if the road was not fixed. Dr. Abdul-Hamid assured them that action was going to be taken immediately to level the tanker yard and make the movement of their vehicles easier, while the contractor mobilises to move onto the site to begin the actual construction of the 5.4-kilometer road.
The delegation, led by Dr. Abdul Hamid included some senior officials of the NPA as well the Director of Urban Roads, Mr. Abass Awalu. Addressing the tanker drivers, Dr. Abdul-Hamid acknowledged the important role that they play in ensuring that petroleum and gas products reach every nook and cranny of the country. “You are a very important part of the value-chain in the downstream petroleum industry. We do not take you for granted at all” Dr. Abdul-Hamid told them. He appealed to them to use dialogue to put forth their challenges rather than threatening a strike action at the least opportunity. “We are equal stakeholders in the development of this country. When the country works, we all benefit, when it fails, we fail with it. Let us therefore work together to address our common challenges” he added.
Throwing more light on the construction, Director of Urban Roads, Mr. Abass Awalu said the first two kilometers, which will be dualized, will be concrete, given the heavy nature of the vehicles that ply the road. Mr. Abass said that the remaining 3.4 kilometers will be asphalt. He assured them that the construction will be done with minimal disruption to vehicular movement.
Mr. George Nyanu, Chairman of National Petroleum Tanker Drivers Union thanked Dr. Hamid for honoring his promise and assured him of their preparedness to support him as long as he continues to dialogue with them. He called on the NPA to pay attention also to roads leading to other depots especially those in Kumasi and Takoradi because they are also in very deplorable states.The Chairman of the LPG Tanker Drivers Union, Shafiu Mohammed, on his part thanked the CE of the NPA and posited that if he continues to deal fairly with them, they will contribute their quota to the rapid development of the downstream industry.