The Tamale Industrial area road which was in deplorable state, thus, caused several accidents that claimed many lives this year, has been fixed.
The stretch from the industrial area to the Nyohin roundabout had deteriorated, forcing commuters who ply the road to launch a campaign to get the road fixed.
Speaking to the media, the Northern Regional Minister, Saani Alhassan Sayibu, who facilitated the execution of the work, said it is a major road project that urgently needed to be worked on.
“With the commencement of work on the interchange, there was no other route that could have been used to cross to the Sahel Region so we needed to get that road fixed,” he said.
He added that a stream on a particular portion of the road was the cause of floods anytime there was a heavy downpour, rendering that road impassable.
“There was the need for that road to get fixed. For three days, I could not sleep because we had to find a solution to the problem,” the Minister said.
Alhaji Saani said 100-kilometres of roads will be tarred in the Tamale Metropolis, adding that 40 kilometres have been worked on.
“We also realised there are road construction works that are happening in various vicinities such as Nyanshegu, Bilpela, Dabokpa, Gbewaa residential area, and other places,” he said.
The Minister added that government has started paying contractors who have stopped work on various projects due to lack of funds. They are, therefore, returning to site since their debts are being settled.
On the Tamale interchange, the Minister said it is expected to open to traffic in March next year. He said the relocation of some major facilities around the interchange delayed the final execution of work.
The Northern Regional Minister commended REGSEC for the swift intervention on issues of security in the Region, especially chieftaincy issues that reared their heads.
He said the Region has enjoyed relative peace and thanked the security agencies for their dedication to duty.
On Education, the Minister said the outcome of the West Africa Senior School Certificate Examination turned out to be good.
“Ten people have met me to talk of their intention to pursue medicine and more are still coming, very good results have come in,” he said.
Alhaji Saani said the Health Directorate raised concerns over vaccine hesitancy and charged the people to come out in their numbers and get vaccinated. He said the Region has no active case and called on the people to observe the protocols.