Bimbilla (N/R), April 27, GNA - Government has been asked to as a matter of urgency rehabilitate roads in the Eastern corridor of the Northern Region, to facilitate the development of the area. Opinion leaders made the request at a durbar to welcome Mr. Moses Bukari Mabengba, Northern Regional Minister, to the area, at Bimbilla in the Nanumba North District, at the weekend.

The District Chief Executive (DCE) for Nanumba North, Mr. Mohammed Ibin-Abass said that no road in the area had been tarred and the feeder roads were not motorable, especially during the raining season, affecting the carting of foodstuffs to market centres, and other economic activities. He expressed worry that the roads had been on the drawing board for far too long and called on government to commence work on them, saying, "It is the shortest road linking the Northern sector to the Southern parts of the country".

Mr. Jatoh Jaspar Moayi, DCE for Kpandai, said that due to the bad nature of roads in the area, farmers could not transport large quantity of foodstuff such as yam, maize and cassava to the markets.

He said land in the area was suitable for the production of mangoes and appealed to investors to invest in that sector.

Mr. Moayi said though the district was just two years old, numerous infrastructural development had started, including the construction of ab= out ten bungalows at GH¢960,000.

He said the projects were being funded through the District Wide Assistant Project and the District Assembly Common Fund and appealed to government for more assistance. Mr. Mabengba, who inspected ongoing projects in the Eastern Corridor= , appealed to the people to be patient with government and pledged that roa= ds in the area would be constructed before 2012.

He said that the rehabilitation of roads was being delayed because government was still looking for competent contractors to deliver quality= work within a specific time.

The Eastern corridor roads link the region passing Nanumba North and= Nanumba South Districts through the Volta Region to Accra in the Southern= part of Ghana.