Make our roads motorable - Wasai community appeals

The chief and people of Wasai in the Sissala West District in the Upper West Region have made a passionate appeal to the Regional Feeder Roads Department, to come to the aid of the community by at least grading the roads and making them accessible.

They said the deplorable nature of the roads in the community and its nearby communities was depriving them of the necessary development and economic activities.

These roads are the Wasai-Oulokung-Oulo road, the Wasai-Du road and the Wasai-Papreme road.

Roads

Speaking through his spokesman, Abdul Rahman Dauda Kontulo, during a press conference, the Chief of Wasai, Kuoro Alhaji Abu Kuntulo Dinbon II, said: “We are asking for the fixing of the culvert or bridge just immediately after the Oulo-Wasai junction road, while the Wasai-Du and the Wasai-Papreme roads are to be opened to allow access or links to the two communities to enhance our social and economic activities.”

The road leading to the community

He said good roads played a critical role in accelerating socio-economic development of towns and communities, including Wasai.

“We also note that a good road balances opportunities towards optimum developmental projects, and opens job opportunities for the youth in any traditional area,” he said.

Consequently, the community reiterated the call on the regional feeder roads department, the government and other stakeholders to ensure that something is done about the deplorable nature of the roads, to spur the development of the surrounding communities and the district as a whole.

As mainly an agrarian district, the chief underscored the need for good roads to enable the farmers to have access to markets to sell their produce.

Dam

To create jobs and encourage farming among the youth, he said the community would need a dam to aid in the irrigation of farms and improve livelihoods.

The chief thus called on the government and other partners to assist the community with a dam for on and off-season farming.

Additionally, the community called on development partners, the district assembly and non-governmental organisations to assist the community in completing a two-unit kindergarten classroom block for the community school.

Kuoro Dinbon said the community had resolved to use local artisans to complete the block which is currently at the window level, for use by the pupils, while “appealing to the government to come to our aid to complete the construction of the remaining four additional classrooms needed for the JHS, primary and the kindergarten pupils.”

Computers

Again, he said the computers at the school’s computer library had become old, obsolete and faulty, and as such there would be the need to replace them to improve on teaching and learning of ICT.

Kuoro Dinbon also called on his people to desist from the indiscriminate felling of trees for fuel, as the practice was depleting vegetation and would bring untold hardships to them.

He called on the community leaders to help in protecting the environment and encouraged his people to replant the trees felled.