Afrifa promises to tackle crumbling roads in Wassa Amenfi West

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) Parliamentary aspirant for Wassa Amenfi West Constituency, Ignatius Kwasi Afrifa, has sharply criticised the neglect of the region's road network despite its significant impact on the national economy.

Speaking to the Daily Graphic, he emphasised his commitment to prioritising road infrastructure improvements if elected as Member of Parliament (MP) in the upcoming general election.

In a fervent call to action, Mr Afrifa highlighted the essential role that the Wassa Amenfi West Constituency, along with adjacent districts, was playing in bolstering the country's economy, particularly the cocoa sector.

Roads

He described the current state of the roads in the Wassa Amenfi districts—Amenfi West, Amenfi East and Amenfi Central—as the worst in Ghana, underscoring the urgent need for government intervention.

“We’re talking about 56 kilometres of road stretching across three constituencies. Amenfi East has about 12 kilometres, Amenfi Central has about 30 or 32 kilometres, and the rest is Amenfi West. And these are the worst roads in Ghana,” he lamented.

A recent journey by the Daily Graphic team from Accra to Samreboi, which took nearly 15 hours via public transport, highlighted the dire condition of these roads. Despite being on a bus designed for rough terrain, the trip was excessively prolonged due to the poor infrastructure.

Mr Afrifa stressed that the Amenfi West Constituency, rich in natural resources such as forests, minerals, cocoa and biodiversity, had been neglected by successive governments. He attributed this neglect partly to the failure of the sitting National Democratic Congress (NDC) MP, Eric Afful, to effectively advocate strongly development projects, emphasising how the development of the road network was critical to opening up the local economy.

“If the government prioritises the construction of the road infrastructure, the Wassa Amenfi enclave will boom with trading and general economic development because the people are predominantly farmers and traders,” he stated.

The constituency is home to the largest cocoa district in Ghana, boasting two cocoa districts: Samreboi and Asankragua. Additionally, it houses the Samartex Timber and Plywood Company Limited, West Africa's largest timber exporter. Mr Afrifa argued that given the constituency's substantial contributions to the national economy, there was no justification for the current state of its roads.

He also highlighted the recent triumph of Samartex FC in the Ghana Premier League, congratulating the team on their remarkable achievement which put Samreboi, a town in the constituency known for its thriving timber industry, on the sporting map.

Vision

As a successful businessman with ventures in media, shipping and hospitality, Mr Afrifa believes he can provide the impactful leadership that the constituency needs. He criticised the incumbent NDC MP for failing to raise these critical issues in Parliament over the past decade.

“I want to provide better leadership based on competence and advocacy. The people need an MP who sees opportunities and galvanises the people to get it, and not just having a representative in parliament. Our current MP can't do it because for 10 years, he has never raised these issues in Parliament, not on the floor, not at a committee level that I've heard of, at a press conference, or in any form,” he argued.

Mr Afrifa appealed to the constituents to consider his leadership, promising development and positive change, unlike the current lack of progress attributed to ineffective leadership.

He highlighted the absence of skill training opportunities, loans, and credit union activities for women under the current MP's tenure, questioning what legacy the MP would leave behind.