President Mills inaugurates Tetteh Quarshie Overpass-Mallam Junction road

President John Evans Atta Mills and Former President John Agyekum Kufuor on Wednesday jointly unveiled a plaque of Former US President George Walker Bush Junior to inaugurate the Tetteh Quarshie Overpass-Mallam Junction road, constructed under the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA).

The road improvement project is to enhance transportation in and around Accra Metropolis, and facilitate the movement of more than 36,000 vehicles daily and reduce peak travel time from one hour to 20 minutes on the 14-kilometre road between Tetteh Quarshie Overpass-Mallam Junction.

The project, named George Walker Bush Highway after former US President George Bush Junior, at an estimated cost of $173.2 million was financed under the Millennium Challenge Account from which the US Government, during the reign of President Bush Junior gave Ghana a total of $547 million for poverty reduction projects across the country.

Ghana's Compact is considered the most complex.

"Let us remember this project is a blessing to us. May God bless us all and may we have more of such projects," President Mills said at the inaugural ceremony.

Calling it a Ghana Project, President Mills acknowledged that the project which begun by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Government was completed by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Government.

President Mills was happy the project had been completed to cease the insults on his personality.

He said the project was evidence of the strong bonds of friendship between Ghana and the US, adding that it was recognition of the same values of democracy, rule of law, transparency and accountability in governance that Ghana shared with the US.

President Mills expressed appreciation to the American Government, consultants and contractors on the project, and expressed appreciation to the US Government for selecting Ghana for the Second Compact.

He called for the observance of traffic regulations, warning encroachers on the space left for future extension to desist from their acts because the law would take its cause on them, adding "They will not have it easy".

Mr Daniel Yohannes, Chief Executive Officer of Millennium Challenge Compact (MCC), said the highway was a reliable highway gateway to greater trade and commerce, which would bring economic growth and prosperity.

He spoke of other poverty reduction interventions under the MCC, and said 66,000 Ghanaian farmers had been trained, three new public pack houses and 10 agribusiness centres established.

Mr Yohannes said the strategic investment had become more powerful in modernizing agriculture, and commended stakeholders for reaching the milestone.