Suhuyini is confident about the completion scheduled of the Ofankor – Nsawam road
The Deputy Minister of Roads and Highways, Alhassan Suhuyini, has given an assurance that some significant improvement will be witnessed on the highly deteriorated 33.4-kilometre Ofankor-Pokuase-Nsawam stretch of the N6 before the end of this year.
His assurance follows significant payment of funds, the government is said to have made to the contractor who moved away from the site and abandoned construction due to alleged non-payment of funds by the previous government.
As a result of the current arrangements put in place by the government, he expressed the hope that project completion could be as scheduled, saying, “We are very confident that it will now be within schedule.”
Suhuyini made this known when he appeared before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) in Parliament to answer questions on the way forward on the poor state of the 33.4-kilometre Ofankor-Pokuase-Nsawam stretch.
The deputy minister also used the occasion to render an apology to the public for the poor state of the 33.4-kilometre Ofankor-Pokuase-Nsawam stretch, which has become a significant problem for all stakeholders.
The public apology to the stakeholders on the current state of the road, he said, had the full blessing of the substantive minister, saying, “I have my minister’s permission to first of all apologise to all motorists on that stretch. It’s one of the hot potatoes that we inherited at the Ministry.”
Explaining what has led to the disturbing situation, which has triggered the anger of drivers, as well as residents and commuters on the road, he said, “By the time we got to the Ministry, the contractor, like many other contractors across the country, had already abandoned the site due to non-payment.”
He revealed that the contractor who abandoned the site due to non-payment, allowing the road to deteriorate, causing many commuters and every stakeholder pain and frustration, has finally moved back to the site to begin work after receiving payment from the government.
Commuters endure 15 hours in gridlock on Ofankor-Nsawam stretch
“Fortunately, as we speak, the contractor has received some payment and has now adequately mobilised back to the site. It is our hope that before the end of this year, some significant improvement will have been noticed on that road,” he explained.
The Ofankor-Nsawam road is a vital route that connects not just local communities such as Pokuase, Amasaman, Medie and Sarpeiman, but it also serves as a key pathway for international trade between Ghana and its landlocked countries.
The road is crucial for transporting goods from the Tema Port to countries like Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger.
It is due to its importance that stakeholders, including commuters, drivers, and residents, have been pressuring the government to fix the vital but poorly maintained road.
Meanwhile, the deputy minister expressed the hope that the completion of the project may be as planned.
NAAB/SEA
Meanwhile, watch below the trailer for GhanaWeb’s upcoming documentary on teenage girls and how fish is stealing their futures:
