Roads Minister cuts sod for construction of deplorable Gwira Aiyinasi-Gwira Wiawso road

Minister for Roads and Highways, Hon. Kwasi Amoako-Atta on behalf of President Akufo-Addo, has cut the sod for construction of the deplorable Gwira Aiyinasi-Gwira Wiawso road.

The move follows the deplorable nature of the road which was having a telling effect on the movement of goods and services thereby crippling the local economy.

Gwira Aiyinasi and Gwira Wiawso are cocoa predominantly growing areas but successive governments have failed to tackle their road network.

Several appeals were channelled to successive governments to do something about their road network since Independence but nothing was done.

It would be recalled that during the 2018 Kundum festival celebration by the Chiefs and people of Axim, President Akufo-Addo who was the special guest of honour assured his commitment of constructing the Gwira roads.

It also comes as a result of the promise the then Flag-bearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), President Akufo-Addo made during the run-up to the 2012 and 2016 elections when he met the Chiefs and people of the area.

The 30km deplorable Gwira Aiyinasi-Gwira Wiawso road will be executed by Fridoug Construction Limited and supervised by the Ghana Highways Authority and will also cost the country 42 million Ghana Cedis.

Speaking at the sod-cutting ceremony as part of his tour to the Region on Wednesday, July 17 2019 at Gwira Eshiem Community Center, the Roads Minister, Mr. Amoako Atta expressed his profound appreciation to the good people of Nzema East Municipality for their overwhelming support given to the NPP during the 2016 general elections.

He added that the NPP government is committed to the development of the people of Nzema East Municipality and therefore urged them to embrace the project and support the contractor to complete the work on schedule.

According to him, the project begins immediately and is expected to be completed in twenty-four (24) months.

He said road network is very terrible adding that President Akufo-Addo needs to be hailed for honouring his pledge to fix the road when voted as a president of the Republic of Ghana.

He opined "I am here to fulfill the promise President Akufo-Addo made during the electioneering campaigns"

"We have given the Contractor 24 months to complete the project, we pray that the Contractor will complete the project on schedule because all powers belong to God and if God gives us lives, President Akufo-Addo himself will come and commission it", he emphasized.

The Roads Minister promised to use powers vasted in him to monitor the execution of the road.

He advised the contractor to do excellent work and avoid any shoddy works.

The Roads Minister, therefore, stated that government will not compromise on quality and value for money concerning the execution of all road projects in the country.

"We have excellent contractors in Ghana, good contractors that can do all our works for us like any contractor anywhere in the world is doing", he said.

"...If we have 100 contractors in Ghana and 99 are good and 1 contractor is not good who will do shoddy works under the watch of President Akufo-Addo, such contractor will be exposed and dumped", he stressed.

He continued that "If you are a Minister and you allow some contractors to do any shoddy works on our roads, that Minister must be dumped and if you are also an engineer and you do not your works well, you will be dumped. From today going let us serve our country well".

The Minister charged that "Ghanaian contractors travel to abroad to see good roads constructed by the Whites but they come to Ghana and do shoddy works but from today going we will not allow any contractor to do any shoddy works on our roads. Just look at their roads, just look at their roads and you come to Ghana to do shoddy works we will not allow these things to happen again.

He, therefore, seized the opportunity to warn the contractor (Fridoug Construction Limited) not to do any shoddy works on the road adding that if he hears any bad report of shoddy, he will terminate the contract.

He also urged the Chiefs and his people to collaborate with the contractor and advised them to stop dictating always for the contractor.

Hon. Amoako-Atta appealed to the contractor to respect the Chiefs and his people to avoid any misunderstanding.

On her part, the Member of Parliament for the area, Hon. Catherine Afeku revealed that the road network has claimed so many lives adding that when the road is completed, it would go a long way to save lives.

She, seized the opportunity to thank President Akufo-Addo for honouring his campaign pledge to fix this deplorable road network.

"Nana Addo promised to fix this deplorable road in 2008, 2012 and 2016 and today he is the President and has fulfilled his promise, we thank him for honouring his campaign promise", she noted.

She revealed that "NPP political party is the only political party that we have brought our presidential candidate to the Gwira area and as a result, Nana Addo saw the bad nature of the road network".

She emphasized that "We are not coming to cut the sod and leave it, this one we have secured funds for it and we are going to do it".

She continued that "We are not like our predecessors who came to deceived us. They couldn't construct a 1-kilometer of asphalt road in Gwira area but we are doing 30 kilometers in recognition of our Chiefs here".

Hon. Afeku urged the gathering to vote massively for President Akufo-Addo in 2020 for honouring his pledge.

She appealed to President Akufo-Addo to bring more developmental projects in the Gwira area to change their lives.

She, therefore, called on the contractor to liaise with the Chiefs and engage some of locals in the construction work.

The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for the area, Hon. Frank Okpenyen hailed the MP for developing the Gwira area than any MP since 1992.

He said the MP has managed to connect Gwira Eshiem, Bamianko, Kutukrom, Gwira Banso and Gwira Asonwah to telecommunication network to link up with the rest of the world.

He seized the opportunity to reassured the good people of the Nzema East Municipality that, the Akufo-Addo led government is keen on infrastructural development which will lead to economic and social development as well.

He, therefore, promised to liaise with the contractor to have a peaceful atmosphere to complete the project on schedule.

He was optimistic that the NPP will win massively in the Gwira in 2020 general elections as a result of the road construction.

On his part, the Paramount Chief of Gwiranman Traditional Council, Awulea Angamatu Agyan thanked the Akufo-Addo-led government for listening to their cries to fix the road network for them.

He emphasized that "I will not sleep on this road construction until it is done".

He urged the contractor to employ the teeming youth in the labour works.

He, therefore, charged the locals who would be engaged in the labour works to respect the guidelines of the contractor and avoid any form of theft adding that they should work hard.

The Paramount Chief seized the opportunity to appeal to the Roads and Highways Minister to construct a steel bridge over Ankobra River at Gwira Wiawso that link the area to Prestea Huni-Valley Municipality.

The colourful ceremony brought the scores of people from the three Constituencies within the Nzemaland and other places to grace it and ended in a peaceful manner.

The Paramount Chief presented fat cow and cloth to the Roads and Highways Minister.

The Minister for Roads and Highways was accompanied by some staff of the Ministry, Western Regional Minister, Hon. Kobby Okyere Darko-Mensah, the Deputy Minister for Roads and Highways, Hon. Kwabena Owusu Aduomi Hon. Catherine Afeku, National Highway Authority CEO, Western Regional Acting CEO of Highway Authority, the media among others.

Source: Daniel Kaku