Hon Ohene Kwame Frimpong
Asante Akim North
Mr Speaker, I rise pursuant to Order 93 of the Standing Orders of this honourable House with, indeed, a burdened heart to make a Statement on behalf of the good people of Asante Akim North, following the tragic but avoidable road accident which occurred on Monday, 28th July, 2025, at around 14:00 hours on the Atwedie stretch of the Accra-Kumasi Highway.
Mr Speaker, 16 young lives were lost and I had the privilege to visit Hawa Memorial Saviour Hospital at Osiem yesterday in the mid-morning to visit four of the surviving members of the Saviour Church. I visited them; I saw them myself and they are doing quite well. The doctors there are doing very well and the nurses are doing their best. These passengers, some of whom were my constituents, were returning to Obogu in the Asante Akim South Municipality after attending the annual conference of their church.
Mr Speaker, I would say that Ghana does not suffer from lack of laws. We have the Road Traffic Regulation, 2012 (L. I. 2180); the Fatigue Management Regulations, and the licencing protocols. Our challenge is the yawning chasm between legislation and enforcement and policy and actual protection. According to the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA), over 1,500 lives have been lost on our roads between January and June this year alone. What should disturb this House is not just the sheer numbers but the deafening silence and inaction that often follow such tragedies.
Mr Speaker, the cost of deferring reform is fatal. When road infrastructure is inadequate, it is the bones of ordinary Ghanaians that fracture under the weight of our collective inertia. Mr Speaker, even the reckless deserves systems robust enough to protect them. There must be no institutional or infrastructural gap wide enough for a fuel tanker to drift into an oncoming vehicle loaded with passengers.
Mr Speaker, let it be clear that I do not rise to suspend the Business of this honourable House. I rise because this is the Business of the House. What more sacred responsibility do we bear than the protection of life and dignity? Mr Speaker, when we permit persistent inaction and normalise fatal neglect, we do not merely fail the bereaved; we fail the very purpose of governance. Every life lost on that highway is a resource stolen from the wealth of our Republic. If this House fails to act with urgency, then we are, by omission, complicit.
Mr Speaker, I wish to remind this honourable House that, in the 2025 budget of the Ministry of Roads and Highways, an amount of GH₵1.4 million has been allocated under the bridge line 0824157 for the section repairs of the Accra-Kumasi Highway. It is imperative that this allocation is not only disbursed, but utilised swiftly and effectively to address critical and dangerous portions of this key national corridor, particularly the Atwedie stretch, which has now claimed far too many lives.
Mr Speaker, I, therefore, call the Ministry of Roads and Highways to prioritise and expedite these repair works and all relevant agencies to provide regular updates on the progress. I also urge the NRSA and the Driver and Vehicle Licencing Authority (DVLA) to intensify public education and force traffic regulations without compromise and engage with transport unions to ensure safe practices.
Mr Speaker, on behalf of the people of Asante Akim North, I extend our deepest condolences to the families plunged into mourning. May their pain steer us towards policy, infrastructure and institutional reforms that will honour the lives lost by protecting those yet to travel on our routes. May this tragedy not just pass as another headline but as a call to national action.
Mr Speaker, I thank you very much, for this opportunity given.
Hon Kwame Twumasi Ampofo
Sene West
Thank you, Mr Speaker.
Mr Speaker, I would want to commend the Members of Parliament for Asante Akim North and South for this commendable Statement. It is very worrisome, that a lot of accidents happen due to our own mistakes or the mistakes of drivers. Mr Speaker, I extend my condolences to the families of those involved in this accident. May their souls rest in perfect peace. I saw the pictures and it is very worrisome.
Mr Speaker, these accidents are mostly due to the poor roads that we have in the country. I believe the Hon Minister for Roads and Highways is here and he is going to do his best to improve our road network; that will save the situation. Mr Speaker, these accidents are also mostly due to unauthorised ramps on the road that cannot be identified. Poor road signs and non-existing road markings are also key causes. When moving in the night, you cannot see any markings especially during the rainy season. It is very challenging. Also, accidents occur due to poor lighting system on our roads.
Mr Speaker, a lot of drivers also overspeed and do wrong overtaking where there are curves or hills. Even though they cannot properly see ahead of them, they still do overtake. Mr Speaker, some cars also do not have reflectors at the back of their cars and the police have to check them because, Mr Speaker, on the highway, one might be driving at a certain speed and suddenly encounter a car broken down in the middle of the road.
Mr Speaker, if care is not taken, one will definitely hit the car and the person might lose their life. Mr Speaker, another cause of accidents is wrong signals of some of the drivers when they are driving. Some drivers can signal left while they are going right and if one does not take care, one will definitely hit the person or there will be an accident. Also, drink driving; some drivers will drink and drive. It is a dangerous thing and the police must check them. Also, sleepwalk-driving is more dangerous than drink-driving. When one is sleepy while driving, it is better to park aside and take rest or sleep for some time and continue.
Mr Speaker, lack of car maintenance is another cause of accidents. Some drivers have poor brakes that they do not fix and some also drive cars with poor lights. The drivers cannot see well, yet they do not want to fix them. So, Mr Speaker, all these things need to be taken care of. Mr Speaker, some drivers have poor sight and they need to get their sight properly checked. They cannot see well. All of these cause accidents. Some cars have bad tyres that need to be fixed.
Mr Speaker, in concluding, I had an experience where a certain car’s tyre was not good but the owner wanted the driver to take the people to some convention. The driver said, unless the owner changed the tyre, he was not moving the car. They went ahead and most of them died.
Thank you, Mr Speaker, for giving me the opportunity.
AskParly