A bridge that connects two towns, Abisim Dawa and Abisim Yeboah in the Nankese Municipality in the Eastern region of Ghana is now a death trap for residents and school children.

The situation according to residents have affected economic activities to the extent that farm produce go bad, especially during the rainy season.

Education, on the other hand, is equally affected badly as many youth have dropped out of school to engage in commercial motorbiking business also known as “okada”.

Teachers are discouraged to go to the classrooms due to the death trap nature of the bridge. The only source of transportation for teachers to move from the Nankese municipality to Abisim Township is with a motorbike.

They say, the poor nature of the road affects economic activity, as vehicles are unable to ply the road especially during the rainy season.

Calling on government to come to their aid, a resident said: “I am pleading with government to fix the bridge and build storage system for us the farmers in Abisim community because we are suffering.”

The Residents have temporarily used logs and plucks as a makeshift platform to serve as a bridge which lies over the Densu River, a crossing for goods and services between the two communities.

They further noted that the bridge is now a death trap and has slowed down academic activity in the two communities especially Abisim Yeboah, because teachers find it difficult to travel from Nankese to Yeboah to teach.

“It is very pathetic and sad when pregnant women are carried on the motor bick while crossing the deplorable bridge,” 25-year-old Eugene Ofori, an okada rider lamented.

Another Okada rider, Adul Razak said he dropped out of school at primary one because teachers weren’t coming to the classroom to teach.

An opinion leader in the Abisim Yeboah community, Mr. David Dartey, confirmed that many have lost their lives while crossing the bridge. “At night, many motorbike riders fall into the river because there isn’t any street light to aid in visibility over the dilapidated bridge, we urgently need the bridge to be fixed now!!!” he demanded.

Speaking with the Assemblyman for Abisim Yeboah, Mr. John Narh, he lamented that school enrollment in the community has reduced while social vices and teenage pregnancy among the youth have increased in the community.

The residents are appealing to the government to help to fix the bridge to improve on economic activity and education in the communities.