The Eastern Regional Minister, Eric Kwakye Darfuor, has said 61 per cent of the roads in the region is in deplorable condition.
The Eastern Region, with an area of 19,323 square kilometres, occupying 8.1 per cent of the total land area of Ghana, is the sixth largest region of the country.
It has a total of 2,633,154 population representing 11.1 per cent of Ghana’s population making it third most populous region, after the Ashanti and Greater Accra, according to 2010 population Census.
The main occupation of residents in the region is farming, however, debilitated by the many terrible road networks. Many communities have since 2017 held countless demonstrations over the situation as lamentations by Chiefs reach cacophonous level.
“About 61 per cent of our road networks cannot be said to be good and so we have a challenge. We also need to expand accessibility but we are all challenged by one thing which is the financing,” Kwakye Darfuor said.
His comments come on the back of multiple complainants by Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) in the region during presentations on the state of their districts—capturing achievements, challenges, and strategic initiatives they planned to undertake to enhance their performances at the Eastern Regional Coordinating Council Meeting held in Koforidua.
For instance, the District Chief Executive for Kwaebibirem Seth Antwi Bosiako bewailed that the District has no single tarred road and that roads in the area keep deteriorating. “They brought in Engineers and contractors in 2017 but up till now no show,” he said.
Adding his voice to the MMDCEs’, Kwakye Darfuor said some road contractors in the region have abandoned their projects due to non-payment, that notwithstanding he was hopeful they would be paid soon.
“The Minister for Roads and Highways has assured us that very…very soon contractors will be paid. There are some contractors who have not been paid for so many years. You remember between 2017 -2018 Urban Roads have been able to award about more than 160km of town roads some of them are working very well, some have worked to a certain extent they even want to complete but they are waiting for payment,” he said.
Source: Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh/103.5FM/Kojo Ansah
