DRIP road works stall in Bekwai over fuel shortage as MP intervenes with GH¢30,000

Road construction activities under the District Road Improvement Programme (DRIP) have stalled in parts of the Bekwai Constituency after a machine deployed to improve a key road reportedly ran out of fuel.

The affected section is the Dotom-Koniyaw-Kokotro road, where a DRIP machine being operated by the Assembly was forced to stop work after exhausting its fuel supply.

In response, the Member of Parliament for Bekwai, Hon. Ralph Poku-Adusei, has released GH¢30,000 to purchase fuel and allow the reshaping works to resume.

The amount is being shared among the three affected communities, with Dotom, Koniyaw and Kokotro each receiving GH¢10,000 to meet the immediate fuel requirement.

The intervention, however, has renewed concerns about the funding and maintenance arrangements for DRIP machinery at the local government level.

Hon. Poku-Adusei said providing Assemblies with road construction equipment would have limited impact if they lacked the financial resources to fuel and maintain the machines.

He noted that DRIP was introduced under the previous administration to provide Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies with machinery to improve road networks, alongside arrangements to support the operation of the equipment.

According to the MP, Assemblies are now increasingly relying on their Internally Generated Funds and contributions from communities to keep the machines running.

He said such a system could place an additional burden on rural communities, many of which have limited financial resources.

The situation along the Dotom-Koniyaw-Kokotro road, he said, demonstrates the challenge, as the availability of machinery does not necessarily guarantee continuous road works when funding for fuel is unavailable.

Hon. Poku-Adusei also recalled that he personally spent GH¢160,000 in 2024 to undertake road works on the same stretch before the DRIP machinery was deployed.

His latest GH¢30,000 intervention therefore comes as another emergency measure to address the condition of the road, which continues to require attention.

The MP stressed that such interventions could only provide temporary relief and called for a sustainable financing arrangement to support rural road construction and maintenance.

He further disclosed that discussions are ongoing to facilitate the return of contractor B. Beniako to site to complete the road project, which was reportedly awarded in 2019.

While acknowledging the importance of reshaping the road to improve access in the short term, Hon. Poku-Adusei said the long-term objective should be to construct and tar the road.

The condition of the road has wider implications for residents, particularly farmers and other rural businesses that depend on reliable road networks to transport agricultural produce and access healthcare, education and markets.

For residents of Dotom, Koniyaw and Kokotro, the immediate concern is to restore the DRIP machine to operation and resume work on the road.

The situation has nevertheless highlighted a broader challenge facing rural road interventions: ensuring that machinery provided to Assemblies is backed by adequate and sustainable funding to keep the equipment operational.