40% of Ghana's roads are not maintained

Cape Coast, July 28, GNA - The Deputy Minister of Roads and Highways, Mr Nii Okley Quaye Kuma on Thursday, stated that the road fund policy can only cater for 60 percent of road maintenances in the country. He said even though the fund got about GHC 1.1 billion in revenue between 2010 and 2011, it can not cater for the remaining 40 percent.

Mr Quaye Kuma said the government has since, employed long term pre-financing options to carry out maintenance work on the country's road= s', adding that, a re-boost of the feeder roads network would be a major area o= f concern and appealed for a collective collaboration between road users and government to help in Road maintenance since it requires cumbersome Financial outlay.

He said this in Cape Coast, during a public forum, under the theme, "Financing of Road Maintenance", which is geared towards sensitization of the public and stakeholders on the role of the Road Fund in the financing o= f road maintenance in the country.

Mr Quaye Kuma said the continual degradation and deplorable state of the country's road network has been as a result of its misuse by motorist= s, stressing that, the condition of the country's road network was a determinant of the socio-economic development of the country. He noted that a good attitude towards maintenance of the roads network in the country would save huge repair bills, reduce travel time ,longevity of vehicles, comfort and safety on roads ,low fuel consumption and reduce drastically, the poverty index in the country.

The Central Regional Minister Mrs Ama Benyiwa Doe in a speech read for her, said out of the total 4,312 km road network in the region, a bulk of these roads were not motorable, thereby stalling development in the region. She said a collective effort by the public, through the payment of tolls and vehicle inspection fees could forestall the problem. She said poor road maintenance impacts negatively, especially on the agricultural sector, since most food stuff produced in the rural areas of the region do not get to the urban centres on time.

Topics discussed at the forum include 93Road misuse and its effects= "," road maintenance and its impacts on transportation"," road fund and its effects on payment for maintenance works," as well as 93Ghana's Road Programme and the role of maintenance and funding road maintenance". m