Work begins on portion of Eastern Corridor road

Daily Graphic Mar - 09 - 2015 , 02:12

President John Dramani Mahama has cut the sod for work to start on the 209-kilometre Oti-Damanko-Nakpanduri section of the Eastern Corridor road in the Northern Region.

Upon completion, the $290.64-million road will connect roads in the Volta and the Eastern regions to the Tema Roundabout in the Greater Accra Region through the Volta Region.

It will also link the Northern and the Upper East regions to Ghana's landlocked neighbours — Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.

The route is conceived as a north-south trade corridor which provides a shorter access to the Tema Port.

Objective of the project

The project is to enhance economic activities between the northern and the southern parts of the country and with Ghana's landlocked neighbours, as well as foster and facilitate integration within the West African sub-region.

The asphalted dual carriageway, which will connect major towns such as Oti-Damanko, Bimbilla, Yendi, Sakpiegu, Gushiegu and Nakpanduri, is being founded by the Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES) and the government of Ghana in a proportion of 83.33 per cent and 16.67 per cent, respectively.

It is scheduled for completion in November 2016.

It is being executed by two Brazilian firms, packaged under two lots, namely: Lots 5 and 6.

Lot 5, which is from Oti-Damanko to Bimbila and Yendi, covers a distance of 86km, while Lot 6 is from Yendi to Gushiegu through to Nakpanduri, a distance of 123.2km.

Communities dotted along the project area will benefit from social intervention projects such as health, education, potable water, agricultural and entrepreneurial support for farmers and traders.

Employment

So far, the project has employed more than 500 local people and it is expected to reach 1,000 at the peak of construction.

Speaking at a durbar of the chiefs and the people of the traditional areas to benefit from the project in the Northern Region in Yendi last Saturday, President Mahama announced that the government was sourcing for funds from the Chinese government to complete the final portion of the Eastern Corridor road which ends at Kulungugu in the Upper East Region.

He stated that the project would give meaning to the $1.5-million expansion works at the Tema Port which would make it the biggest port in the West African sub-region.

He noted that the Eastern Corridor road which had existed from the pre- and post-independence eras and which successive governments had made attempts to reconstruct was part of the transformational agenda of the government in the road sector, adding that the road would provide a smooth ride from Yendi to the Tema Roundabout.

President Mahama stated that the road, when completed, would further boost economic activities between the north and the south and help farmers transport their produce with ease and at low cost to the marketing centres.

He disclosed that the government would soon start the construction of the Western Corridor road which would link Enchi in the Western Region to Hamile in the Upper West Region and also consider the Central Corridor road as part of efforts to transform the road transportation system in the country to foster and facilitate trade and integration.

Road network

The President said there were about 44 trunk roads and bridge development projects at various levels of completion nationwide, adding that out of the 44 projects, 25 were being funded by the government, with the remaining 19 being development-partner assisted.

He said six bridge projects were ongoing across the country involving the rehabilitation of the Adomi Bridge and the construction of five others in the Upper West and the Northern regions.

Value for money

President Mahama said the government was committed to the successful completion of all the projects, so that the people and the communities could enjoy the intended benefits and ultimately help raise their socio-economic conditions.

He, therefore, urged the sector ministry, the Ghana Highway Authority and other stakeholders to ensure that the works were executed to expectation and specified quality.

He also called on the contractors to do a good job to ensure value for money to justify the huge investments in road projects.

Dagbon chieftaincy crisis

The President announced that the government was working closely with the Committee of Eminent Chiefs, led by the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, to resolve the Dagbon chieftaincy crisis peacefully and once for all to pave the way for the holding of the funeral of the late Ya-Naa and ensure the successful enskinment of a new King for Dagbon.

The Minister of Roads and Highways and Member of Parliament (MP) for Tamale Central, Alhaji Inusah Fuseini, appealed to motorists, inhabitants and other stakeholders to cooperate with the contractors for the execution of the project.

The Regent and acting President of the Dagbon Traditional Area, Kampakuya-Naa Andani Yakubu Abdulai, earlier in his welcoming address, had expressed delight that at long last the dream of various successive governments and the Ghanaian people, especially those living in the north, was being realised.

He commended the government for the many projects it was undertaking in the Northern Region, such as the upgrading and expansion of the Tamale Airport to an international standard, and appealed for the upgrading and expansion of the Yendi Municipal Hospital to a referral centre within the Eastern Corridor.

The Project Director, Ricardo Sampoio, who spoke on behalf of the two firms executing the project, pledged to deliver a quality job to meet international standards.