Minister appeals to government to urgently rehabilitate Tamale-Bolgatanga Highway

Mr Akamugri Donatus Atanga, the Upper East Regional Minister, has appealed to the government to take urgent steps to rehabilitate the deteriorating Tamale-Bolgatanga Highway.

The Minister made the appeal in Bolgatanga when he received 550 laptops from the Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications (GIFEC) to support the implementation of the government's One Million Coders Programme in the Upper East Region.

The Minister described the current state of the 163-kilometre road as a major threat to commuters and said it had significantly increased travel time and risks between the two regional capitals.

The Minister said the once relatively convenient journey from Bolgatanga to Tamale had become increasingly difficult due to the numerous potholes on the stretch, many of which had expanded into deep gullies.

“The potholes are such that they are now becoming gullies. We used to take about two and a half hours to travel to Tamale, but now it takes normal vehicles close to four hours because of the bad nature of the road,” Mr Atanga lamented.

Additionally, the bad nature of the road had led to several accidents, leading to loss of lives and properties, injuries to people and damages to vehicles.

He noted that the bad state of the road was particularly worrying because of its impact on healthcare delivery in the region, explaining that critically ill patients referred to the Tamale Teaching Hospital were often exposed to additional risks and delays during transit.

“When patients are being transported to the Tamale hospital, they are endangered because of how rough the road is. It causes more harm to the sick,” he said.

Mr Atanga said he would use every available opportunity to draw the attention of the Ministry of Roads and Highways to the plight of the people of the Upper East Region.

He disclosed that he was scheduled to meet the sector minister and would present the concerns of residents regarding the urgent need for rehabilitation works on the route.

The Minister also touched on the Bolgatanga-Bawku-Pulmakom road project, indicating that efforts were underway to ensure the contractor returned to site to continue work.

He assured residents that the government remained committed to addressing infrastructure challenges in the region and called for patience and support.

“The government is a doer. What remains now is to complete and fill in the gaps. We, together with the Municipal and District Chief Executives, will continue to channel the concerns of the people to the leadership for the needed action,” he said.

GNA