The 234-kilometre highway that links Wa to Bolgatanga in the northern part of the country is in a deplorable state, and journey that should a normally take two-and-a-half hours now takes more than four.

The road is also noted for rampant armed-robbery incidents because of its poor state, and drivers that use the road are now scared to ply it. This has become a major hindrance to economic development of the area.

The roads in the Upper West and Upper East are generally bad, and as such business transactions are impeded while farmers are unable to transport their produce to market centres to sell, Masahudu Issah, a livestock farmer, told the B&FT.

He raised these concerns when two passenger buses and three trailers that were travelling on the road got stuck on the Tumu road -- and their inability to move the buses made them pass the night on the dangerous road.

He said feeder roads and link roads leading to many of the communities that produce foodstuffs are in a deplorable state, and the people are unable to travel to the district capitals to purchase farm inputs and other requirements during the rainy season.

He therefore appealed for government to improve the roads so as to open up the communities and boost food production -- thus promoting the economic and lifestyle fortunes of the people.

“When government improves the Tumu-Bolgatanga and Tumu-Wa roads, it will help facilitate the movement of goods and services,” he added.

According to him, there is no day vehicles do not move on the road -- the reason being that Burkina Faso is just about 36 kilometres away, so farmers from the Upper East and West often transport some of their goods to Burkina Faso for market. “So, if this road is tarred, every farmer will be happy because he can then easily move his goods to the market to sell.”

He said because of the roads’ state, there is no market in the area; and if the roads are fixed, this will create a market and improve the economic lives of the area’s people.

Masahoudu, who is also a two-time Best Livestock Farmer in the Tumu district, said the road is their major problem because it is slowing inter-regional trade between the Upper East, West and Burkina Faso.

He said armed robbers have also taken advantage of the poor road to rob passengers and travellers of their belongings and monies.

“Tumu is a central part of the Sisala East District of the Upper West Region, so if a market is created, people from different part of the region will come to trade there.”

He said he was attacked on the road twice -- in December last year and February this year -- saying, “if the road is good, there wouldn’t be any incidents like that”.

Roads are an integral part of the transport system. A country’s road network should be efficient in order to maximise economic and social benefits. They play a significant role in achieving national development and contributing to the overall performance and social functioning of the community.

Agriculture, hunting, and forestry are the main economic activities in the northern sector. Together, they account for the employment of 71.2 percent of the economically active population aged 15 years and older. Less than a tenth (7 percent) of the economically active people in the region are unemployed.