COERCE Nananom to develop the streets within the Suburban New-Site Communities

It must be imperative upon the government of Ghana, opinion leaders, property owners and all concerned citizens to coerce ‘Nananom’ (the Chiefs), who are presiding over the bounty through the sales of land, the land which they inherited from our forefathers, to use some of the billions of cedis they acquire to develop the streets within the new suburbs.

It would be important for Nananom to learn from Nana Boakye-Ansah Debrah, the chief of Asokore Mampong, in the Ashanti region. Asokore Mampong, which is a suburb of Kumasi, has well- defined roads and streets of which about 98% of the streets are constructed or tarred and have well-defined gutters and bridges. Of course, some of the glory goes to Alhaji Muntaka Mubarak, the MP for Asawase Constituency who is committed to the development of his constituency.

If you live at Duase-New Site, Ahenema Kokoben New-Site, Abuakwa-Manhyia, Santase New-Site, Atonsu-Dompoase, just to mention a few communities in the Ashanti region, you will realise how torrential rain waters have eroded the streets and created artificial sink holes that are death traps to people in the communities as well as strangers. During heavy downpours, the speed at which the streams of muddy-rain waters flow, the force and the gutters they create cannot be over emphasised.

It is about time the government of Ghana redefines the mandates of the Lands Commission and Town Planners. Their mandates must include the authority to sanction chiefs who sell demarcated roads and market places. It is sometimes very appalling to see a defined street narrows up into a tiny pathway if not a gutter. Navigating around some neighborhoods is sometimes a tussle. Accessing a place which shouldn't take a minute may take ten minutes because what is supposed to be an access street is filled with houses, so one needs to turn around and around.

We implore the traditional rulers to commit to the development of their communities. It is time! "Nananom", render generosity to your people. Plan our communities and make roads. The government of Ghana alone is not tarring the streets within the ever-expanding New-Site communities.

Kwaku Manu was 2 years old when his parents moved to Abuakwa-Manhyia New-Site. At the moment, Kwaku is 22 years old and has completed a degree from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. The neighborhood streets are still spraying dust into the atmosphere every time a vehicle passes by and every time the wind blows. When quizzed about his greatest wish for his community, he said:” Well-constructed streets. I wouldn’t like to see another 20 years of muddy-dusty and erosion turnabouts.”

Some concerned citizens want the government to coerce the chiefs to commit to constructing roads directly or by paying a portion of their royalties into a Community Roads Fund. Alternatively, the government must set up the Community Roads Authority. Each community must have its own authority that is independent but supervised by the Ministry of Local Government. Contributions to the Community Roads Fund must be as follows:

Chiefs-30%, Property owners (landlords)-40% and Govt- 30%.

Let’s make Ghana a better place to live.