Rawlings commissions reconstructed Akosombo Road

Afienya (Greater Accra) 8th June ?99

President Jerry John Rawlings on Monday commissioned the reconstructed 78-kilometre Tema-Akosombo road that links the Harbour City to the inland port at Akosombo.

The project was executed with a loan of 23.8 million deutsche marks from the German government while the Ghana government provided the local component of 4.6 billion cedis.

The road, which was first built in 1963, would serve landlocked countries such as Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger to conduct their import and export businesses through the Akosombo port.

"Indeed, the project will provide enormous relief to importers and exporters in the northern sector of the country who will have the option to haul their goods to and from Tema by means of cheaper transport on the Volta lake," President Rawlings said.

He said the road would enhance Akosombo and the Shai Hills as tourist destinations.

"This will also attract potential investors to develop the Dodi Island and its environment for water sports and other recreational activities and to explore other tourism investments around the Volta Lake," the President said.

President Rawlings appealed to motorists to refrain from spilling fuel on the road as lubricants reduce the life span of the asphalt and increases maintenance costs.

"It is critical to note that the nation has sunk huge amounts of money into the construction of this road and it should, therefore, be protected."

The President also expressed concern about the rate at which road furniture such as signposts and guardrails are being stolen. "The havoc that these negative activities cause is immense. They cause

death and maim road users. I would, therefore, appeal to you once again to report such culprits to the law enforcement agencies without hesitation."

President Rawlings said the police should be up to their responsibilities in checking such illegal activities and appealed to the Ghana Highway Authority to keep to their scheduled preventive and maintenance programme.

Mr. Steve Akorli, Deputy Minister of Roads and Transport, said there had been a tremendous increase in traffic, hence government's decision to upgrade the road from a bitumen surface to asphalt.

He said construction work that started in January 1997 and was scheduled to be completed in September, this year, had been completed three months ahead of schedule.

"We appeal to all contractors to emulate this," he said.

Mr Christian Nakonz, the German Ambassador, said over the past few years, the German government had committed two billion deutsche marks to various projects in Ghana.

Germany is also funding the reconstruction of the Tema-Aflao road, work on which would start soon.

Mr Nakonz said Germany has responded to the call for debt relief for developing countries, cancelling 500 million marks from the debt owed it by Ghana.