Any time I use the Accra-Kumasi road, I keep asking myself four questions. First of all, in Ghana do people take responsibilities for things placed in their care at all?
Secondly, who drew the plan for the construction of the Accra-Kumasi road?
Thirdly, who approved of it and
Lastly, who awarded the contract to the contractor?
I learnt it was supposed to be a highway, but it does not require a degree certificate or technical knowledge to know that between Ejisu and Kumasi is really a death trap and not a highway.
For those of you who do not use that road you may not know what I mean so I will explain a bit.
There are about three or four mini roundabouts between Ejisu and Kumasi that can hardly accommodate a small salon car let alone articulated trucks.
There are dual carriage roads which run parallel towards the roundabout but just before the roundabout, they emerge into one tiny track or call it road. It makes manoeuvring at the roundabouts very, very difficult even for small private cars and taxis. Besides that there are uncountable rumps on the road which have no right to be on highways. Nowhere in the world would you have such a highway.
People have being complaining on almost all the radio stations in Kumasi but no one seems to be responsible for the roads in order to take a second look at the complaints of the public. They think they are more sensible than the rest of us put together.
A lot of articulated trucks have being falling over at the roundabouts since they have to virtually go over the roundabouts or to climb the curb in order to manoeuvre the roundabouts. A security building at KNUST was hit by one such trucks and several others but maybe the goals of the designers or the contractors were not achieved still so they did not do anything about it.
Eventually, on Friday (21-09-07) there was a fatal accident at the KNUST gate roundabout near the police station and six people died on the spot. So maybe now they will rethink and consider the cry of the public. I think the road is for the public but that is not the kind of road the public want so I am appealing to you whoever is in charge please reconsider your design to make it more of a highway than a death trap.
At worse those roundabouts could be replaced with traffic lights if that will serve any purpose.
I know for sure the President, Ministers and government officials have been using the roads day in day out and if they do not see anything wrong with it then it is unfortunate so I am informing them (you) that is the situation so they (you) should be up and doing and take responsibility for the lives of Ghanaians.
Oh or they (you) just sit down in Accra and award the contracts without monitoring them to see if the right things are being done? And I know for sure that this contractor will be awarded certificate of completion very soon, if not awarded already.
This is the highway where the government is locating the Boankra inland port to cater for the northern sector of the country and the neighbouring countries. How feasible when the road is anti articulated trucks. Which haulage company will want to risk his investment and the lives of its employees so much, knowing very well the situation as it is? Let have a look at how many big buses are coming to Kumasi during the CAN 2008 and the situation of the roads.
Please and please I beg of you whoever is the contractor or engineer in charge please have a second look at the issues because whoever causes death by negligence as in this case should have to face criminal charges. We love our lives and we do not want to die early especially from someone’s actions or inactions.
Be up and doing and remember you will be held accountable for whatever you do.
(LECTURER AND PUBLIC POLICY ANALYST) KNUST SCHOOL OF BUSINESS,KUMASI
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