Friday, 14th March, 2025
Hon Sebastian Ngmenenso Sandaare
Daffiama/Bussie/Issa
Mr Speaker, for the opportunity.
Mr Speaker, thank you for the opportunity to make this Statement in an effort to bring urgent attention to the state of the Wa-Bole-Techiman Road and its implications on commuters particularly the good people of the Upper West and Savannah regions.
Mr Speaker, the importance of good road network to the economic growth of these regions and the country at large cannot be overemphasised. Particularly, for regions which do not have alternative means of transportation, road transportation is a critical artery to their economies, enabling access to markets, boosting tourism, creating access to jobs and educational opportunities, as well as enabling access to healthcare and other essential services. Ultimately, a good road network provides the opportunity to stimulate economic growth and social progress in these regions and the country at large.
Mr Speaker, one such important road network with enormous economic and social benefit to the people in these two regions and Ghana at large is the Wa-Bole-Techiman Road. It is an N12 trans-ECOWAS road that links the Upper West and Savannah Regions to the Southern part of Ghana and neighbouring Burkina Faso.
Mr Speaker it is sad to state that, the road is very deplorable beyond description to the extent that, the social and economic benefits of a good road network are lost on the people. The deplorable condition of the road continues to pose severe challenges and hardships to commuters and communities along it. The road is characterised by large and deep potholes, weak culverts and completely dusty as all the coal is removed.
Mr Speaker, the implications are innumerable. The safety and security of commuters is greatly compromised as they are subjects of frequent and indiscriminate armed robbery attacks, and with some unfortunate situations resulting in deaths.
Mr Speaker, most worrying is the spate of accidents solely attributable to the bad road network. Common occurrences include bursting of vehicle tyres and vehicle collisions in drivers’ attempt to dodge potholes among others.
Mr Speaker, the cumulative effect is that the road is unsafe in all regards and extremely tortuously long. A journey which would naturally take less than 12 hours from Accra to Wa takes an average of 18 hours to 20 hours or more now. Worse is that, transport owners including the State Transport Company (STC) have started avoiding and even abandoning the road to the detriment of communities around that stretch.
Mr Speaker, even though the importance of keeping this road in good shape is not lost on government, the neglect of the road for close to a decade without maintenance has left the entire road network in its present deplorable state. Even though Chiefs, commuters, drivers and Members of Parliament from the two regions from both Sides of the political divide have made several appeals to past governments to fix the road, the situation has not changed as the condition of the road continues to deteriorate with each passing day. And although the immediate past regime announced the award of a portion of the road to a contractor before it exited power, the contractor is yet to commence work on site.
Also, the bad road network has a significant toll on the health of commuters and settlers. The long sitting hours poses severe health challenges to the passengers. Respiratory diseases are equally rising among communities along the road due to the daily inhalation of dust. Patient transport is equally negatively impacted with reports of deterioration of medical conditions of patients who are referred to the Upper West Regional Hospital and beyond.
Mr Speaker, the road, if not urgently attended to, will continue to slow down economic and social activities. Cost of transport, prices of goods and services, access to markets, tourism and investments drive will further take a nosedive. In conclusion, fixing this road as soon as possible will allow for easier movement of goods and services to markets, and facilitating trade to boost economic growth.
It will reduce vehicular wear and tear, leading to lower transportation costs for passengers, businesses and commuters while enabling faster delivery times and improved supply chains, enhancing overall productivity and by extension, attract more businesses and investments to a region. This will help create jobs in these regions for the unemployed youth. It will further boost tourism and reduce the negative impacts cited supra such as accidents, robbery, and deaths along the road.
Mr Speaker, my position is therefore to appeal the President of the Republic through the Minister responsible for Roads and Highways to, as a matter of urgency, cause the immediate rehabilitation and reconstruction of the road.
Thank you once again, Mr Speaker, for the opportunity.
Hon Peter Lanchene Toobu
Wa West
Thank you very much, Mr Speaker, for the opportunity to contribute to the Statement ably made by the Member of Parliament for the Daffiama/Bussie/Issa Constituency, Hon Sebastian Ngmenenso Sandaare.
Mr Speaker, speaking about the road from Techiman to Wa requires a bit of energy to stand in Parliament and speak because all of us on that stretch, as we sit here, constituents are threatening that if that road is not fixed, we should not even come home. Drivers are threatening that if that road is not fixed, they will abandon the road.
Mr Speaker, VIP buses from Wa to Accra used to take nine hours but today, VIP uses 18 to 20 hours. State Transport Company (STC) buses are using between 20 to 22 hours because STC prefers to use the bypass between Sawla and Fufulso and cut across to Techiman, abandoning the Sawla-Techiman portion of this road. It is quite sad to realise that a journey of nine hours is becoming a journey of 18 hours.
Mr Speaker, if we believe that time is money, we are wasting nine additional hours for the same stretch of road. What is more important and very sad is the fact that the spate of accidents on that road because of the bad nature of the road threatens lives and properties.
I am happy to announce, Mr Speaker, that as we cry about armed robbery on that road because of the bad nature of the road, H. E. President John Dramani Mahama has infused some fresh energy into the Ghana Police Service by appointing a new Inspector General of Police (IGP). We will call upon him as well that, before the road is fixed, Government should endeavour to ensure that patrols on that road are maintained at a very high level so that security can be guaranteed.
Mr Speaker, in conclusion, this is a road that passes through the hometown of a former Prime Minister, Mr Kofi Abrefa Busia from Wenchi. It is also a road that passes through the hometown of the current President, Mr John Dramani Mahama, Bole; so, it is an important road. Apart from that, this is a road that leads to Burkina Faso. We know that in the near future, we will be talking about a rail line from Tema to Ouagadougou. But until that is done, let us have a better road to be able to enjoy transport home and back.
I am so grateful, Mr Speaker, for the opportunity.
Hon Dominic Bingab Aduna Nitiwul
Bimbilla
Thank you, Mr Speaker. Let me support my Colleague who brought the attention of the country and the House—And I am happy that the Minister for Roads and Highways is here to listen to the Statement by my Colleague.
Mr Speaker, the bad nature of this road was highlighted in the last quarter of 2024. It is the reason the government had to look for resources and got the Ministry of Finance to issue a commencement for a portion of that road that was awarded. It is really a very terrible road that is leading to a regional capital.
Mr Speaker, if that road is not done, it will mean that the Upper West will be cut off from having any good road to the Upper East. This is because from the Bolgatanga side and from the Wenchi side, the road is not good. If the road is not good and we do not have any other road, it means the entire region does not have any motorable road to that region.
We are not even talking about roads within the region, but the main road to the region; that is how bad it is, and so I am happy that the Minister for Roads and Highways is here. I believe the Minister for Roads and Highways should take serious notice of the plea of the Member and see what he can do to ensure that, at least, the road is motorable.
When this matter came up in the previous Cabinet and we were discussing it, some of us were of the view that we should even quickly go there and do spot improvement to, at least, allow it to motorable for some time. But then we were told that it is so bad that if we want to even do spot improvement, it will not help, so it needs real construction. So, the whole country needs to support them.
We cannot have a situation where a whole region cannot have an access road; a tarred road to the Region in 21st century Ghana. I think it is wrong. I will support the Member and say that if we are going to have a situation where people cannot move, when there are security issues, even when we have a whole barracks there, the officer cannot move properly. It does not speak well of us when the police and people who are travelling cannot move properly because of bad roads. And worse still, it is at the border where terrorism threats are coming towards us.
And these are places we should find ways of ensuring are good, so that we can reinforce if there is a problem. We cannot have a situation where Upper East and Upper West have bad roads. It is not something that the country should really look at as a second option. It is not good for Wenchi through Bole, Sawla to Wa, to have the sort of roads they have. I have used that road several times, Mr Speaker. Even with 4x4 cars, people are going to suffer.
I can imagine the market women who are using this road just to make ends meet. They are not using 4x4 Land Cruisers, they are not using Nissan Patrols, and they are not using modern day cars. They are using the old cars that our people use. I can imagine how they suffer. I can imagine people sitting for 10 hours to move on a road that they could have used two hours to travel on.
If patients are referred to a bigger hospital and for some reason, they do not have money to get onto an aircraft or maybe an aircraft is not coming that day, because in place like Wa, it does not come regularly, and the patient has to be moved to Kumasi or Accra, I can imagine how bad it would be. I can imagine that pregnant a woman has to move on this type of road. We are going to kill the person.
So, I think the Minister for Roads and Highways should pay attention to this road and look at how he will be able to ensure that at least, it is made motorable. There are many difficulties that he is going to face, that is true, especially with roads. But I also think that there are some roads that he should prioritise and this should be one of them. He should make them a priority and ensure that within this year, he begins to at least allow the people to enjoy some good roads.
Otherwise, it will be sad to have a situation where the entire Region does not have any motorable roads that they can move on. It is not a very good thing. I want to thank the maker of the Statement for bringing it to our attention. As I said, the nature of the road came especially in the last quarter when the rains destroyed most parts of the roads, not just the one leading to Wa. Even with the roads outside Wa, the rains destroyed a lot of it, and if we allow rainy season to come again, the roads will even get worse. So, if we can do something before the rain starts to come, then it will be good for all of us as a country.
Mr Speaker, with this, I want to support the call of the Hon Member that we should prioritise these roads as one of the first roads that the Minister for Roads and Highways will deal with. Even though all of us have roads in our constituencies that are not complete; I still want to support the maker of the Statement and say that we need to do this for the sake of all of us as a country. Thank you, Mr Speaker.
Hon Anthony Mwinkaara Sumah
Nadowli/Kaleo
Mr Speaker, thank you for the opportunity to comment on the Statement made by the Member of Parliament for Daffiama/Bussie/Issa.
As an MP from the Upper West Region, I think he has done a good job for all of us. It is been a challenge for all of us and we are all facing the threats. At a point, our constituents think that we are not doing enough to get this road constructed. I want to thank my Colleagues that have also commented on the Statement, particularly, the former Minister for Defence, for siding with us and then indicating the need for the Minister to take urgent action.
Probably, a few illustrations will demonstrate the challenge. If one is leaving Accra with the State Transport at 4 p.m. to Wa, the earliest time one can get to Wa is 2 p.m. the next day. The State Transport will get to Techiman. Instead of the State Transport going straight to Wenchi, Bamboi and continuing, it will divert straight to Kintampo, then up to Fulfuso and come back to Damango, and to Sawla before one can go to Wa, a regional capital.
Mr Speaker, Wa was the youngest regional capital before the creation of these other regions and we know the challenge. We were already struggling to catch up with development with the other regions. Added with this challenge now, I do not think the people of the Upper West and then the communities and constituencies along that route deserve this treatment.
In fact, on one occasion, I said that if we cannot work on the road, then let us take off the bitumen so that we have a rough road and the people can move easily. The implications are so many, especially on the tourism potential of the region. I will make an illustration. The Continental Body for Credit Union was due to hold a programme in the Upper West Region in Jirapa, which is the birthplace of credit unions in Africa. They were celebrating the 70th anniversary.
So this programme was going to host 34 African countries, four European countries and the United States of America. The participants were from all these countries. And they had chosen Jirapa to host this programme because that was the birthplace of the credit unions in Africa. The organisers went by flight from Accra to Wa, and then got to Jirapa. They inspected Royal Cosy Hills Safari Resort, popularly called Jirapa Dubai. They were very satisfied with the conditions there but they decided to come by road to Kumasi to pay a courtesy call on the Asantehene. It took them 12 hours from Wa to Kumasi. The programme was going to host 2,000 members. As I speak, Mr Speaker, we have lost the opportunity to host the programme. There are a lot of tourist sites these people could have taken advantage of, and then our communities would have benefited economically from their visit. We have lost that potential. We have lost that opportunity.
Most of us listen to Citi Heritage Caravan. When they were questioned why they have never been to Upper West, they said they were worried about the security of the people. They could not gamble with their lives going on that road. That is the road we use every time. It has affected every sphere of our lives, even we MPs. If I want to get to my constituency and I leave now, I would probably get there tomorrow in the afternoon. I have burst my tyre on that road several times.
Mr Speaker, security concerns — In this House, I had the opportunity and a very sad duty to contribute to a Statement regarding a colleague who passed; my schoolmate, the Late Richard Badombia, a lawyer who was shot dead on that road. So, the situation is quite bad. I do understand the passion of the Minister for Roads and Highways and I think he can do something to salvage the situation. He would be writing his name in history if he is able to do something about that road. It is so terrible. I mean, it is not anything to talk about. We do not have to make such requests, demands and permissions for that road to be worked on. That road links to Burkina Faso, several regions and several constituencies. Imagine someone who has to go to Bole, Sawla or before Sawla, he has to go by STC. The STC is going to cut off Bole. He would not get a chance. He has to get another means to get to Bole or Sawla.
Mr Speaker, we are pleading with the Hon Minister. We know and we are aware of the efforts. I do remember when the former President went to Wa, he told the Wa-Naa that he was going to do that road as a parting gift for the people of Upper West. Our understanding is that some awards have been made. The reality is that there is nothing happening on that road. So, we are making this special plea today on behalf of the good people of the Upper West Region and all the constituencies, Bole, Sawla-Tuna-Kalba, up to Wenchi, that please do something about our roads.
Mr Speaker, we are confident that the Minister can do something and he will do something about it. Thank you very much.
Hon Matthew Nyindam
Kpandai
Mr Speaker, thank you once again for giving me the opportunity to also contribute to support my good friend who ably made these Statements.
Mr Speaker, it is an undeniable fact that if that road is constructed, the economic benefits are enormous. It will open up the Upper West Region, and link it to the Brong-Ahafo Region. Travelling will be much easier.
Mr Speaker, I am surprised to even hear from my Friend who just spoke that, now, it is not possible to travel from Techiman through Wenchi to Upper West Region. You have to come, drive to Kintampo Road to Fofoso and link this way.
Mr Speaker, I am happy the Minister for Roads and Highways is here. Even traveling from Techiman through Wenchi to Wa is hours. Even if one is using a Land Cruiser, by the time one gets to Wa, one will be too exhausted. We all have bad roads, just like the former Minister for Defence has said and the Minister of Roads and Highways has reiterated on this Floor.
But some problems are bigger than others. It is of late that African World Airline or, I think, Passion Air, fly from Accra to Upper West Region, but how many people have the ability, Mr Speaker, to use this? It is not possible. So, we all want to urge the Minister for Roads and Highways, as soon as practicable, to listen to the call of the maker of the Statement, and there are so many constituencies on that road, and I am sure that if it is done, it is going to help.
Obviously, armed robbers are also strategic. They will look at where the roads are very bad and where cars or vehicles will slow down, and they will obviously launch attack at that particular spot, and people lose their lives and the little incomes that they have made. The market women, especially, suffer; they lose a lot of money. So, we all want to urge the Minister for Roads and Highways to quickly—We know things are difficult, but it is doable. He should, please, come to the aid, and then at the end of the day, just like he said, his name will be written in the “Guinness Books” of Upper West Region.
Thank you very much, Mr Speaker, for the opportunity.
Hon Kwame Governs Agbodza
Adaklu
Mr Speaker, I thank you for the opportunity to comment on the Statement made by my Colleague, Dr Sandaare.
Mr Speaker, I travelled the country extensively. The last time I did that was during the 2024 election. It is true that you could get to parts of the country and you wonder whether that is still within the boundaries of Ghana and whether the people living in those areas also feel they are benefiting from the efforts of the country.
I agree with Hon Nyindam that we have a lot of problems, but some are bigger. The particular road my Colleague is talking about, we refer to, in some circles, as the Western Corridor roads because it comes right from Elubo to Hamile. It is very strategic because if you consider the fact that when you are getting to the south—That is a road if you are coming from Hamile, you can use to get to Takoradi easily.
So, if you were to be talking about agriculture and, indeed, we know that some parts of agriculture produced from Côte d’Ivoire can easily come through at the middle somewhere and come down, and there are mining potentials of our country along that route. So, that is not a mistake that even the Western Corridor railway is supposed to be tailored along the same route.
Mr Speaker, with the horror stories on driving on that road, you should only try it, and you see that it is something we should have done like yesterday. The total length of that road from, maybe, Elubo to Hamile will be slightly over 670 kilometres and, on average, without even dualising it, if we were to just do double surfacing and other things at roughly US$1 million per kilometre and add interchanges and others, it could be easily more than US$1.2 billion.
But it is an investment because the values we derive from that are more than that. It is true that, as the former Minister for Defence, my Colleague, said, somewhere last year, a decision was taken to award a section on contract, but those who ply the road know that, as we speak, there is not much going on because, without saying much, no funding was made available for that because the same contractor who is supposed to be doing this is also asked to do something somewhere where he has invested money, and he is not being paid, so, even that one is also, let me use the word, abandoned. Now, the section he is referring to, that is Techiman, we refer to as Techiman-Sawla-Wa; it is not about President Busia or President Mahama. It is just a road that ought to be done.
The section from Techiman-Sawla-Wa is also more than 320 kilometres. What is in the contract is just over 100 kilometres, so there are gaps that needed to be closed. In my mind, we still need about half a US$500 million to be able to do a lot of work on it, but Mr Speaker, it has to be done. The President has instructed that to be part of what he calls the Big Push—So the Techiman-SawlaWa is part of the Big Push, which we are putting together. His point is that it must be fully designed and costed, so there is no kneejerk reaction by just asking a contractor to go and start because we have got too many examples of that. I just gave you an example of this. Accra-Kumasi is a double direction, single lane road. We want to dualise, so we want to build a bypass.
The bypass is GH₵1.9 billion, and when I was there the last time, when I got to the Ministry and they presented me with a variation order of US$1.7 billion, and I asked how can we can have a project of US$1.9 billion and we want a variation of US$1.7 billion.
What is the justification for it? Did you start it in the night or did you not know what you were doing? What they told me was that they started the project by flying a drone over the alignment, and the contractor said when they got to the site, they realised that they could not see the drone image because there were galamsey and things under there. There were valleys and, by the time they actually prepared the land and everything, the money was finished. That is why they needed US$1.7 billion extra.
As we speak, that is not even resolved. In fact, so all the investment we have done on the Kumasi bypass, not a single of the lot is fit for purpose today. None of them can be used. Meanwhile, the money is finished. The closest is over 90 per cent; it is in the middle of somewhere, so it is not even connected to the main Kumasi Road. That is not a prudent way of using money, and it is a knee-jerk reaction, in terms of Let us do something. I am telling you; I am not talking about politics I am talking about a situation where, in the quest to address a need—
The need is to dualise Accra-Kumasi. But in the process, it must still be done properly. Because, today, not a single one of all the seven projects that have been awarded is usable. Meanwhile, the money allocated is largely spent. Do you understand? I am saying that the lot that is—
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