Accra, Dec. 22, GNA – The Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) has released 200 million dollars to the Ministry of Roads and Highways, under the Cocoa Roads Improvement Project (CRIP Tranche II), for the maintenance, rehabilitation and upgrading of roads in cocoa growing communities in Ghana.

Under the CRIP Tranche II, it was estimated that routine maintenance would be carried out on 4,000 kilometres, spot improvement on 2,000 kilometres and upgrading of 750 kilometres of feeder roads to bituminous surface.

Mr Joe Gidisu, Minister of Roads and Highways, announced these in Accra on Wednesday at the last in the meet-the-press series to highlight the public on the achievements and challenges of the sector.

He said COCOBOD had collaborated with the Ministry in the rehabilitation, up-grading and maintenance of roads critical to its operations and vital for the haulage of cocoa.

The Minister said the collaboration had been expanded to deal with its full mandate, which included the handling of coffee and sheanuts.

Mr Gidisu said under the CRIP Tranche I that started from 2008-2010, contracts were awarded in three phases to undertake works involving 685 kilometres of roads at a total cost of GHC122 million.

“About 331.5 kilometres of roads have been completed and the remaining 353.5 kilometres are at various stages of completion. The Ministry is repackaging all non performing contracts for re-award,” he said.

The Minister said the regional distributions of road contracts awarded under Tranche II were: Greater Accra Region, 66 kilometres, Eastern Region, 75 kilometres, Volta Region, 71 kilometres, Central Region, 120 kilometres, Western region, 199 kilometres, Ashanti Region 77 kilometres, Brong Ahafo Region, 49 kilometres, Northern Region 119 kilometres, Upper East Region, 44 kilometres and Upper West Region, 24 kilometres.

Mr Gidisu said the investment would facilitate the efficient operations of COCOBOD in particular, facilitate the movement of people, goods and services, and create more job opportunities for the citizenry.

On the transport sector, the Minister said 84 contracts covering a total length of 456 kilometres of spot improvement and 226 kilometres of minor improvement had been awarded throughout the country and were at various stages of work. He said KfW, a German company, was funding poverty- focused rural transport programme, to rehabilitate 300 kilometres of feeder roads to provide access to markets in Ashanti and Brong Ahafo Regions, and 87 kilometres out of that been already awarded on contract.

Mr Gidisu said the Department of Feeder Roads under the Bridge Development Programme (BDP) had identified 5,000 water crossing points that hampered the provision of access to rural dwellers.

He said that out of this number, 1,200 sites had been classified as critical for the effective functioning of rural road network.

The Minister said the provision of bridges would eliminate the use of canoes and other hazardous means of water transport thus facilitating safe and efficient means of moving people, goods and services in the rural communities and the elimination of long detours.

The BDP formed part of the Ministry’s programme under the Ghana Shared Growth and Development Agenda, and aimed at improving the socio-economic situation of rural dwellers.