Improved road infrastructure would increase the attractiveness of Madina, stimulate economic activities, attract new investments and businesses, which would lead to increased employment opportunities for people leaving at Madina.
Many businesses will relocate to Madina and new ones would emerge when our roads get the needed facelift.
This will also open inaccessible sites for development and ensure overall development of Madina. While the importance of road infrastructure is limited to Madina Constituency, as the Member of Parliament, it has become necessary for me to raise these concerns so central government through the Ministry of Roads and Highways, and Department of Urban and Feeder Roads can take urgent actions and necessary measures to fix Madina Roads.
If Central government, which controls the public purse and all funds available for roads and drainages, really wishes to build Ghana and for that matter municipalities like La-Nkwantanang-Madina, its measuring rod would be ensuring rising standards of living for the population, increased investments in factories and basic infrastructure such as road network and drains in a well-coordinated and properly planned use of land and other natural resources.
It is indeed deeply sad and disappointing for me first as a Ghanaian, and secondly as representative of the people that I berate the poor nature and state of roads and infrastructure projects in Madina.
Doubled Population Presents Increased Pressure on Infrastructure
According to the 2010 Population and Housing Census, the population of Madina was 111,926, with 54,271 males and 57,655 females. However, the recent Population and Housing Census recorded by the Ghana Statistical Service shows a population of 244,676 comprising 120,846 males and 123,830 females, representing an increase of 119%.
This has resulted in increased pressure on available infrastructure. Over the years, the population of Madina has more than doubled, meanwhile available infrastructure remains the same. Thus, there is the need for expansion of social amenities such as electricity, water, and drainage systems to provide the necessary support for the expanded numbers.
Madina faces stalled Infrastructure Projects
In recent years, roads and drainage projects in Madina have stalled despite being awarded on contracts. Roads from Teiman to Kponkpo through burger town, Teiman to Abokobi, Teiman to Oyarifa in the Teiman electoral area, the Ayi-Mensah, Kweiman, Danfa, Adoteiman and Otinibi road is in complete tartars. Tatana North and South area roads and Nkwantanang East and West community roads and substantial part of Adentan New Site roads have all stalled.
Similarly, drainage projects ranging from 0.08 kilometres of outfall drains to 13 kilometres of 0.6 metres concrete u-drains are all yet to be constructed. An urgent question filed to the Minister of Roads and Highways as well as tour of my Constituency during the recent recess further revealed that contractors who have been awarded contracts are not on site for most of these roads and drainage projects in Madina.
Indeed, all efforts to get these Contractors on site including demonstration for roads which I led to put pressure on the government to get the roads fixed have all proved futile. The recent torrential downpours have exacerbated the issue, causing further inconvenience and displeasure for residents of Madina, leading to the death two persons recently, and most persons trapped in their homes after a rainstorm.
Year of Roads Not Witnessed in Madina
It will be recalled that the Government in the 2021 and 2022 Budget Statements declared the Year of Roads and Second Year of Roads, allocating GHS952,587,681 and GHS1,735,272,000 respectively. In spite of these, Madina is yet to witness its fair share of developmental projects.
From the much-touted One District One Factory (1D1F) to Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ Programme), to 1 District 1 Warehouse, and Infrastructure for Poverty Eradication Project (IPEP), Madina is yet to see real and meaningful development under this Administration.
Roads in Madina link goods and persons to various parts of the capital and country, and contribute meaningfully to national development. The Oyarifa, Danfa-Kweiman-Ayimensah Roads connect goods and persons to the Eastern Region of Ghana, providing alternate route to individuals, motorists and tourists who wish to travel to business, tourism, relaxation, and other purposes.
Conclusion
In conclusion, all across the world, roads make a crucial contribution to economic development and growth and bring important social benefits. They are of vital importance in order to make a nation and society grow and develop.
The absence of road projects at Madina highlights the extent of transformation and development the people have witnessed since the inception of this Administration.
Madina Constituency is therefore calling on H.E. the President and his Representatives, the Minister for Roads and Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), to fulfil their pledge and mandate to the people by fixing the Roads, Drainages and other Development projects in Madina. Madina deserves its own fair share of development.
The writer, Hon. Francis-Xavier Sosu, is a private legal practitioner, human rights activist, Member of Parliament for Madina Constituency, Member of the Appointments Committee, and Deputy Ranking Member of the Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee, with background expertise in Economics, Conflict, Security and Peace Studies. The writer can be contacted via: francisxavier.sosu@gmail.com www.madinamp.com