Demo Does not Build Roads – Minister Says Tarkwa Residents

General News on Thursday, April 11, 2019

Source: adomonline.com

2019-04-11

Residents of Tarkwa, Western Region, were urged to show restraint as the government works to hire a contractor to repair their bad roads.

Mr. Kwasi Amoako-Atta, Minister of Roads and Roads, said that although the event was a good reminder, it was not a panacea for road repairs.

Angry residents, over a hundred, dressed in red tapes and war songs, burned car tires to prevent vehicles from entering and leaving the municipality on Wednesday, April 10, 2019.

Angry Tarkwa residents burn their tires

This was to express their dissatisfaction with the bad nature of the roads in the region. Residents blocked the main road from Tarkwa to Takoradi and the west-north region.

The demonstration, which paralyzed commercial activities, was the second of seven protests in seven months by the people and traditional leaders of Tarkwa.

Residents warned the government to prepare for more demonstrations until the roads were repaired.

Dwaso Nsem, of Adom FM's morning show, said the problem was monetary in nature.

He explained that the former Mahama government had pbaded several road contracts without any budget allocation, a situation he described as regrettable.

The minister noted that the government's inability to access the Road Fund created in 1997 to finance road maintenance across the country was even more worrying.

He said the fund under former president John Mahama had been used as collateral for a 1.5 billion GH ¢ loan from United Bank for Africa.

"We do not have access to road funds, we owe a lot of entrepreneurs. Although the government has been able to pay, we have about six hundred million cedis late, "he lamented.

Despite this, the Hon. Amoako-Atta said that they were still discussing with Tarkwa's subcontractor for him to return to the scene, while they were working on fundraising for him.