Residents of Nsuta, a mining town in the Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipality of the Western Region, burst into anger after a truck, which was carrying manganese from the area and heading towards the port of Takoradi, knocked down and killed a young man believed to be 19 years old.

The unfortunate incident happened on Thursday, November 15, 2018, at about 6:30pm.

The irate residents gathered in the middle of the busy road yesterday morning in their numbers to protest against the incessant knockdowns of human beings by haulage trucks that ply the road on a daily basis.

They also demonstrated against the deplorable nature of the road that leads to the mining town of Tarkwa.

DAILY GUIDE learnt that the protestors blocked the road with different kinds of objects and burnt car tyres which sent thick-dark clouds of smoke into the sky and prevented traffic flow.

Clad in red and black bands on their heads and hands, the angry youth sang and danced, as they blocked the road to register their resentment against the bad state of roads in the area.

The people lamented that even though the roads in the area were very dilapidated despite several promises from subsequent governments to fix them, haulage and other mining trucks that plied them kept on knocking down and killing residents.

They said it was unacceptable that minerals were mined from their community to boost the country’s income but they lag behind in terms of development.

“The present state of the road network is an eyesore and do not befit Tarkwa municipality which is a mining town”, one of the demonstrators pointed out.

He asserted that the bad nature of the highway had increased travelling time from the Sefwi area in the northern part of the Western Region to the capital of the region, Sekondi -Takoradi.

For over four hours, the standoff on the Nsuta–Takoradi highway created heavy traffic with plume of smoke visible several kilometres away from where the demonstration was being held.

It would be recalled that a few months ago, some chiefs in the area joined the residents in the Ahwetieso area to demonstrate against the deteriorated Ahwetieso–Tarkwa road on the Takoradi-Tarkwa highway.

Manganese Company Reacts

Reacting to the accident, the Ghana Manganese Company Limited stated that the truck involved in the accident was a hired third-party haulage truck with registration number WR 1016-17.

“Upon learning of the accident, senior management members called upon the relevant state agencies and also dispatched the ambulance to help manage the situation”, the statement added.

A release from the company signed by the Chief Operations Officer, Benjamin Atsu Quashie, indicated that the company did not know the cause of the accident, adding “but we know that we lost a brother shortly after the accident”.

It continued: “Internal investigations have commenced to know the cause and to enable us take the appropriate steps to ensure that the right things are done and to prevent future recurrence”.

The release added: “We urge calm as a high-powered meeting has been planned with the leadership of the municipality and the police on the matter”.