Former President, John Dramani Mahama, could not hide his disappointment when used some roads in cocoa growing villages in the Western North region.
Most of the roads in cocoa growing areas are in extreme deplorable state, which Mr. Mahama blamed it on the failure of the ruling regime to fund construction after an audit of awarded contracts.
Most of these roads in regions such as Western North, Western and Central are in dire state, where drivers lament the pains in plying on such stretches.
John Mahama revealed that, 250 million dollars was set aside from the cocoa syndicated loan annually for the cocoa roads program; arguing that his his NDC led government awarded contracts under the cocoa roads program to give such roads facelifts for easy transport of cocoa beans.
These projects, he observed, stalled after the present government suspended the contracts for an audit.
Mr. Mahama explains the government failed to fund the projects after clearing the contractors.
“When I was Vice President, all chiefs were demanding improvement in roads. So I promised that I will institute the cocoa roads policy if I become President. It was to ensure 250 million dollars the 2 billion dollars syndicated cocoa loan is set aside for road infrastructure. We ensured that the Western Region get a chunck of the project. The NPP government came and halted the project for auditing. It took more than four years for them to clear the contractors. But some of the roads that were halfway done have further deteriorated”, he said.
Addressing residents of Essam in Bia East District as part of his “Building Ghana Tour”, Mr. Mahama has pledged to restore the program when voted into power in 2024.
“We started the Esam town roads to a point, I am not sure they have continued. The Bono and Ahafo Regions have similar concerns. If I become President we will reactivate the project and get the contractors back on site”, he added.
Many of the cocoa growing areas the ‘Building Ghana tour’ team visited, have improved road networks as their main demand, narrating how bad roads have become their nightmare.
In the largest cocoa growing area of the country, the Western North Region, the convoy on the tour went through some of the toughest terrains.
The journey to Esam in the Bia East District could pass for the roughest comparably to other areas which were also deplorable.
It took much skill for the drivers to safely journey the team to the area.
Visibility became a major concern at a point as clouds of dust covered the windscreens of most of the cars the team used.
Many of the chiefs in these regions made the request for improvement in road networks among other things.
At Bodi, the traditional authority bemoaned how pregnant women are forced to sit on motorbikes to be carried to the hospitals for delivery due to bad roads, forcing car drivers out of business.
The NDC’s 2024 flagbearer, John Dramani Mahama, assured such chiefs and people that all stalled road infrastructure plus other projects in these districts of the country will be prioritized if the NDC wins power.
Our reporter, Kwame Anum, says the Building Ghana tour has so far been well received by residents of all regions visited so far; adding that the people failed to hold their frustrations, explicitly pouring out their needs, wants and expectations of the next John Mahama and NDC government.
