More than 60% of Ghana’s road networks in poor condition

General news for Saturday, September 12, 2020

Source: GNA

2020-09-12

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Only 39 percent of the country’s road networks were in good condition when the government took office in 2017, Kwasi Amoako-Atta, the Minister of Roads and Highways, said on Friday.

The remaining 61 percent of the total 80,000 road networks in the country were poor and in dire condition, Amoako-Atta told a news conference in Sunyani.

Amoako-Atta and some ministers of state and officials of the New Patriotic Party accompany President Akufo-Addo on his five-day working visit to the Bono, Bono Este and Ahafo regions.

Upon taking office, Amoako-Atta explained that the government of President Akufo-Addo had shown a real commitment to fixing the deplorable road networks and opening the nation for rapid socio-economic progress.

The road sector, he added, remains a key ingredient in driving rapid growth and socioeconomic development and that is why President Akufo-Addo declared 2020 the year of roads to improve road infrastructure.

Amoako-Atta said that since 2017, the nation has had a large supply of food due to the implementation of the Planting for Food and Jobs program, and it was necessary to ensure that the road networks connecting the farm gates were in good repair.

He said that good road networks would open up accessibility and facilitate government implementation of the One-District-One-Factory program to achieve desirable results.

In the Bono region, Amoako-Atta said 48 road infrastructure projects are currently being rehabilitated, adding that an additional 25 projects are going through various contracting stages and will be awarded as soon as possible.

He warned highway contractors against poor-quality works and said the ministry would not hesitate to terminate the contracts of those found to be in need.