The Parliamentary committee on Roads and Transport has called on the Ministry of Finance to expedite action on the release of funds for the early execution and completion of on-going road projects in the Brong Ahafo Region. It said the delay in the release of the funds for completion of work on the roads was hindering the carting of foodstuffs from the region to market centres and the easy movement of the people.

The committee made the call at the start of the first leg of a five-day inspection of on going roads projects in the Brong Ahafo, Upper West, Upper East and Northern Regions. Mr Solomon Kwabena Sarfo, Chairman of the committee and the other members on the trip said this after inspecting works on the Bibianiha-Sampa, Wenchi-Nsoko roads in the Brong Ahafo Region and Bole Tinga as well as the Bamboi-Tinga re-surfacing road in the Northern Region.

The delegation was to inspect the Navrongo-Tumu road between the Upper East and Upper West Regions and also the Tamale-Yendi roads to access the extent of work by the contractors and to advise on measures for their early execution.

Mr Sarfo, who is also Member of Parliament for Mampong in the Ashanti Region commended the contractors for the work so far done and urged them to keep faith with the government and ensure the early completion of the projects.

The 30-kilometre Binladba-Wenchi road, being undertaken by Messrs J.Adom limited has about 92 per cent of the sub-base laid but the tarring works has been stalled.

So far the contract sum of 20.7 billion cedis has not been paid to the contractor but the contractor has given the assurance that the project could be completed by the end of the year.

Mr Joseph Adom, the Managing Director of the company said once funds start flowing, the project would be executed to ensure that the road was put in good shape as it was one of the busy roads leading to and from Cote d'Ivoire border at Sampa.

The DFID funded one million pound contract was awarded in 1996 but due to the ministerial and government changes the projects is now at a standstill. The committee members expressed satisfaction about the works so far executed by the contractor and urged that they should see to its proper completion.

Mr Emmanuel Zumakpeh, Vice Chairman of the committee said the roads needs to be put in a better shape because the region as a major food producing area needed to be opened up. Work on the 51.7 kilometre-Wenchi-Bamboi being undertaken by P W Ghanem at a contract sum of 2.5 billion cedis was still at its preliminary stage.

Mr Lothar Schnell, the consulting engineers of KOCKS consult of Cimbell of Germany said the German and Ghana governments were funding work on the road. Work on the Tinga-Bole road has just taken off with the laying of the surface dressing, while the Bamboi-Tinga stretch of the road that is to be re-shaped is at an advanced stage.