Building by day, dismantling by night
Barely 10 months after its inauguration, the Obetsebi Lamptey Interchange in Accra, arguably one of the symbols of progress, sacrifice and national pride, has been vandalised.
Thieves have stripped away nearly a thousand vital metal components such as bolts, nuts, railings, reflectors and safety gadgets, leaving behind a trail of danger for motorists and despair for a nation already burdened by the cost of infrastructure.
The Resident Engineer of the project did not mince words: “This is a national security issue.” And indeed, it is
This shameful act, unfortunately, does not stand alone. Just months ago, the Achimota–Pokuase road, another critical artery built with taxpayers’ money, suffered a similar fate.
Criminals broke through concrete and cut through heavy metals, exposing a disturbing trend of coordinated theft of public property.
This is dangerous. The thieves are dismantling our development one bolt, one nut and one railing at a time.
But these thefts are not just about stolen metals.
They are about stolen safety, stolen resources and our stolen future as a country.
When the hand railings and crash barriers of a bridge are ripped away, it is not just metal that disappears; it is the very protection that stands between human life and tragedy.
When street light cabling is stripped, it is not just wires that are lost, but the visibility that prevents deadly accidents on our roads.
When metal drain covers vanish, it is not just iron that is gone, but the safe passage of children, pedestrians and motorists who risk injury or death in open drains.
How did we, as a nation, come to this? How can the sweat of taxpayers, the vision of planners and the dedication of engineers be undone by the pliers and hacksaws of a few reckless individuals?
More importantly, how long will we remain indifferent while our collective investments are cannibalised for scrap?
The Daily Graphic notes the commendable arrests by the authorities, such as the recent conviction of a man caught with stolen components from the Obetsebi Lamptey Interchange.
However, the truth is, one conviction is not enough.
The scale and precision of these thefts suggest a thriving black market for stolen infrastructure metals.
Scrap dealers, buyers and middlemen who create demand for these items must not escape accountability.
Occasional raids on scrap yards, as suggested by project officials, should be institutionalised, and the law should hold receivers of stolen state property just as culpable as the thieves themselves.
Yet enforcement alone will not solve the problem.
The ingenuity that built these projects must now be turned towards protecting them.
Some have proposed chip-embedded materials to track stolen components; others have suggested installing more street cameras to monitor vulnerable points.
Home-grown solutions must also be explored, such as our technical institutions being tasked to brainstorm innovations in design and materials.
For example, where feasible, concrete alternatives can replace metal components like drain covers, removing the incentive for theft while providing durable, locally available solutions.
But technology and enforcement will fail without vigilance and conscience.
The protection of our national assets is not the responsibility of the government alone; it is the duty of every citizen.
Communities living near these installations must serve as first-line defenders, reporting suspicious activity and discouraging the purchase of stolen materials.
Civil society, the media and schools must continue to educate and remind us that stealing from the state is stealing from ourselves and our children.
We must also rethink how projects are completed and maintained.
Tag-welding bolts, as the Obetsebi engineers attempted, is clearly insufficient.
Perhaps modular designs with fewer detachable parts, or securing critical components in tamper-proof casings, could reduce vulnerability.
We also think that the Ghana Standards Authority, working with road and construction agencies, should urgently develop a framework for “anti-theft design” in all future public works.
At its core, this crisis is a moral one.
No nation can develop if it builds by day and dismantles by night.
No society can prosper if it celebrates ribbon-cutting ceremonies but allows thieves to quietly unfasten the very bolts of progress.
The Obetsebi Interchange and the Achimota–Pokuase Road are not just roads; they are lifelines built with scarce resources.
Their theft is a theft of our dignity.
Let us, as a people, rise urgently and with one voice to defend what is ours, through vigilance, innovation, and collective responsibility.
Tomorrow may be too late, and the cost, far too high.
