Students gain field experience on Kumasi outer ring road project

The Ministry of Roads and Highways has disclosed that 15 students from tertiary institutions in the Ashanti Region are gaining hands-on experience on the Kumasi Outer Ring Road project as part of efforts to build the capacity of young professionals in Ghana's construction sector.

The students, who are pursuing programmes in civil engineering, geomatics engineering and quantity surveying, have been engaged by the contractor executing the project to gain practical industry experience.

According to the Ministry, the 47km road project, which begins at Etia in the Ejisu Municipality and ends at Akom in the Afigya Kwabre North Municipality, forms part of broader efforts under the Big Push Infrastructure Programme.

The ministry indicated that construction works on the project are progressing steadily, with the contractor having cleared 25 kilometres of vegetation, including the felling of trees and removal of stumps. Ongoing activities also include topsoil removal, earthworks involving cutting and filling to formation level, and the construction of drains.

During an inspection tour, the sector minister, Kwame Agbodza, said the scale of the Big Push Programme presented both challenges and learning opportunities for all stakeholders.

“Ghana has never embarked on a programme of this scale at a particular time. So, there is a lot of learning for all of us to do,” he stated.

He acknowledged the difficulties with implementing a programme of such magnitude but stressed that the challenges should not prevent stakeholders from finding practical ways to sustain the programme’s progress.