The Volta River Authority (VRA), has commenced repairs of a 10-kilometre stretch of road connecting Okwenya Junction to Akuse to enhance transportation and accessibility.
The initiative aims to improve the quality of the road, ensure safer and more reliable transit for residents and travelers alike, while also stimulating local economic growth through better access to essential services and markets.
Mr. Kwaku Wiafe, Director of Engineering Services at VRA, made the announcement at a stakeholder engagement on Kpong Dam restoration project in Akuse, Lower Manya Krobo Municipality in the Eastern Region.
He stated that the rehabilitation of the road was justified because it would aid in restoring the dam’s dyke and facilitate the transport of materials and equipment to the dam site by haulage trucks.
He said the decision was made in response to agitation from VRA employees, motorists and residents.
Mr. Wiafe stated that contractors had begun laying gutters, installing culverts, and undertaking other ancillary works on the road.
The 27.3 km stretch from Okwenya to Asutuare had been in disrepair for several years, impacting business productivity.
Aside the VRA, Akuse and Asutuare are known to be the leading towns with the highest number of local rice producers in the Eastern region.
Speaking to the Ghana News Agency in an interview, Mrs. Henrietta Sogbe, a rice farmer and aggregator, praised the construction, saying the road had been in poor shape for several years, impacting business negatively.
In September 2022, residents and commercial drivers who live and drive on the Akuse-Asutsuare-Osuwem and Volivo routes demonstrated to express their dissatisfaction with the state of their roads.
The demonstrators lamented the bad road network connecting the communities and expressed discontent with past and present governments failure to fix it.
Aside from rice production, Asutuare host many business entities including the Golden Exotics Limited, a leading banana producer and exporter company and several other businesses that contribute to the local economy.
However, little had been done to address the deteriorated road, a situation that was adversely impacting both productivity and profitability of these enterprises.
Mr. Moses Tetteh, a transport operator, expressed worry about the situation, stating that due to the poor quality of the road, they intended to increase transport charges, as the condition of the road had been causing frequent breakdown of their vehicles, leading to high cost of maintenance.
GNA