President Nana Addo Dankwa AKufo-Addo’s aim of making Accra the cleanest city in Africa cannot be achieved without the collaborative efforts of some state institutions such as the department of urban roads.

This is because Today’s investigations have revealed that, the central reservation on the Awoshie-Pokuase dual carriage starting from Baah Yard through to Ablekuma is weedy and bushy, creating an unhealthy scene when using that stretch of the road.

The weeds are heavily grown and extremely tall, Today discovered.

In some jurisdictions, such weeds are used as ornamental plants including lawn grasses to beautify the city.

However, the median at the aforementioned part of this road has become a nuisance to residents as well as commuters. This is because they find it very difficult when crossing due to the bushy nature of the road.

Today further observed that the weed population was awfully varied as they were several species within the over 20-metre stretch.

Some of them were even woody plants such as Sodom apple in addition to other non-woody varieties such as guinea grass, hogweed, buchelor button, common wireweed and crowfoot grass making the area almost like a forest.

According to the residents, it is an eyesore, especially at a time that Accra claimed to be a millennium city and the much-touted claim by President Akufo-Addo of making the national capital the cleanest city in Africa.

A resident, Kwame Anto, who is a Tipper Truck driver, said the weeds also trap other refuse carried by the wind, citing empty ‘pure’ water sachets to buttress his case.

“The whole place harbours dangerous reptiles such as snakes. Sometimes we kill them with our vehicles when they try to cross the road. Some of the weeds can also weaken the roads because their roots penetrate the soil, creating holes for both air and water to enter,” he stressed.

To this end, the community appealed to the department of urban roads, the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) and the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources to clear the weeds as soon as possible.

They reminded these state agencies that in clearing the weeds, they should spray the weeds with appropriate herbicides and allow the sprayed plants to dry completely before being cleared off.

“The AMA should again plant ornamental plants in the median to be taken care of by officials from the Parks and Gardens so that the road will be beautiful,” they advised.

The 15km Awoshie-Pokuase road in the Ga West District of the Greater Accra Region in Ghana links the capital with by-pass roads to major highways leading to various parts of the country. It provides an alternative route for vehicular traffic currently using the Pokuase-Achimota route to access the western parts of Accra and beyond.