Making '2020 Year of Roads' on course - Roads Minister

Mr Kwasi Amoako-Attah, Minister of Roads and Transport has said numerous roads projects are being executed throughout the country in fulfilment of the President’s declaration of making “2020 the Year of Roads”.

He said though many projects were being undertaken in other sectors of the economy, the Government was focusing more on roads because “if you want to develop a country it must be opened up, and a road is the vehicle”.

Mr Amoako Atta, who was speaking at a press briefing in Ho, as part of President Akufo-Addo's working tour of parts of the Region, said a well-developed road infrastructure was necessary to enhance socio-economic development and to attract investors into the country.

He said due to the bad nature of roads in the country before the New Patriotic Party (NPP) came to power, the President had dedicated the last year of his first term in office to improve on the roads infrastructure, and put measures in place to honour his promise to the people.

The Minister said the Volta Region had witnessed improvement of roads under the current administration, adding that, work was currently ongoing on 38 different roads in the Region with 13 new ones at various levels of procurement processes for work to begin on them simultaneously in due course.

He said work was progressing steadily on the Ho-Sokode dual carriage road, and one side of it would be completed by November and opened to traffic to enable the contractors to begin work on the other side.

Mr Amoako Atta said the Eastern Corridor road was critical to government and the country as it was the shortest route that linked the South to the North and also traversed through most food growing areas of the country, and had lots of economic benefits to the citizenry.

The Minister said the President had, therefore, put all the necessary measures in place to ensure that the road was completed to accelerate socio-economic growth of the country, adding that, seven contractors were currently on site working on the road.

He said the Government was closely monitoring the progress of work to ensure that it was done qualitatively and within the specified time-frame, adding that, any contractor who failed to deliver to expectations would have his contract terminated.

Dr Archibald Yao Letsa, Volta Regional Minister, said the Government was determined to improve on roads in the Region as roads were major of concern to the people in the Region.

He called on the people to support the Government in its drive to enhance national socio-economic development.