The Eastern Regional Minister Eric Kwakye Darfour has appealed to residents to remain calm amidst agitation over the poor state of most roads in the region.
He explained that out of the 1,551 kilometres of trunk roads in the region, only about 28 per cent are motorable and this has become a major concern for the Regional Coordinating Council.
In an interview with Citi News on the sidelines of the commissioning of some government projects in the newly created Akroso Manso Asene District, the minister who doubles as Member of Parliament for Nkawkaw said 163 kilometres of town roads in various districts of the Region has been awarded to contractors.
They should talk it is legitimate. In Ghana, we have a road length of about 77,000 kilometres and just about 30 – 35 per cent can say to be good. The rest are poor and so everywhere you go in Ghana including the Eastern region. You traversed the very terrible road and I know the government is doing its best. For example trunk road, there are about 1,551 kilometres of trunk roads in the eastern region and only about 28 per cent can be said to be good. The rest are poor. From 2017 till date, we have given on contract 187 kilometres and this costs 505 million Ghana cedis.
The Chairman of Parliament’s Roads and Transport Committee, Samuel Ayeh-Paye has bemoaned the erstwhile National Democratic Congress government’s handling of the roads sector.
He said the sector as inherited by the Akufo-Addo government was a “mess” and highly indebted.
Speaking on The Point of View on Wednesday, Mr Ayeh-Paye said the NDC government wouldn’t have been able to manage the sector if it inherited what is left for the Akufo-Addo government from the Kufuor government.
Roads in Ghana worse under NPP gov’t – Minority
The Minority Spokesperson on Roads, Governs Kwame Agbodza says the Akufo-Addo government must take full responsibility for the poor state of many roads in the country.
According to him, the current state of roads in the country is worse than it used to be during the John Mahama administration.
Mr Agbodza who was speaking to Bernard Avle said the government’s failure to ensure prompt maintenance of the roads is the cause of the situation.