The Minister for Roads and Highways, Hon Kwasi Amoako-Atta, has assured the Chiefs and people of the Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipality that, the Nana-Akufo led government will soon fix all the road network within the Municipality and that such efforts have been committed in the area of funding and procurement processes.

The Roads Minister described the Tarkwa-Takoradi road as one of the most vital highways in the country, it is the major access by which all mineral resources such as Bauxite and Manganese, Timber, rubber extract, cash crops such as cocoa, oil palm, coconut etc are transported to the Takoradi Harbour from the Northern, Ashanti, and northern side of the Western region. It is however sad that this stretch of road has been in a deplorable state within the past years.

Hon Kwesi Amoako-Atta was making his submission in Tarkwa on Wednesday, 7th November 2018, when he addressed Chiefs and people of Nsuaem on a one day working tour to the Municipality.

The Minister and his entourage visited the Mile 5, Nuakrom-Aklika and the Ahwetieso to Bogoso junction roads respectively to ascertain the state of the roads.

At Nsuaem, The Minister assured Nana Kwame Adade II, Chief of Nsuaem that the road from Nsuaem to Mile 5 and its adjoining communities are currently in a very terrible condition, I want to assure you today that, the government of President Akufo-Addo is working so tirelessly to commence work on that portion to make it motorable, he added.

Hon Amoako-Attah reaffirmed to the Chiefs and people that “henceforth, they were going to witness for themselves, a refreshing and effective effort that will be sustained to enhance work on the Mile 5, Nuakokrom-Aklika, Tarkwa-Tarkwa Banso-Esuoso and Ahwetieso to Bogoso Junction roads as well as the Tarkwa town roads additionally, he said.

“It is the pride of His Excellency, Nana Akufo-Addo, that by the end of this first term in government, these roads in the Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipality shall see the light of day”.

Additionally, the Roads Minister indicated that his Ministry is also working on many of the roads in the Western Region, he hinted that roads in the Tarkwa township will also receive particular attention.

“I am with much joy to inform you that, within the Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipality. five (5) of your roads have been selected, and within the coming months, contractors shall mobilise and will report to the site. "Nananom please be rested assured that Wassa Fiase roads will equally receive the attention, just as any other roads in our country,” he said.

He said the government is therefore overwhelmed by the deplorable road network in the country and the high demands from various sector leaders for the rehabilitation and asphalting of those roads. Where are the so-called motorable roads the previous government claimed to have constructed, he quizzed?

He disclosed further, that since the NPP assumed the reigns of the country on January 7, 2017, over one billion Ghana cedis has been paid to contractors.

Mr Amoako-Atta further stated that “traditional authorities and almost every town and village is crying for motorable roads. Out of the total of 72, 000 kilometres of road network nationwide, we have only 39% of it considered to be motorable. The rest of the 61% is not in good condition. So we have a lot of work to do. One will ask, all the noise that the previous NDC government made about road construction ahead of the 2016 elections were fraudulent, all the huge loans they secured in the name of road construction where did the money go?"

In the case of Western Region, lot of the road works were suspended because for almost between two out of the eighty-seven years contractors in this country including those in this region of which Asabea Engineering Limited is no exception were not paid nor had their contracts properly and officially procured for contracts including even the few genuine jobs that had been undertaken by them.”

Nananom, that is the horrible and messy road sector we inherited in 2017, he yelled.

The Municipal Chief Executive for Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipality, Hon Gilbert Ken Asmah disclosed to the media a number of grading and asphalting works which have been executed by the Municipal feeder roads engineers. It will be recalled that government awarded the Bonsa to Benso road to Kinspork Engineering Ltd and I'm happy to inform you that the project is ongoing smoothly and we shall continue to offer timely monitoring and supervision and also provide the necessary support when necessary, he noted.

The Minister was accompanied by Hon Dr Kwaku Afriyie, Western Regional Minister, Dr. Abass, Director of Urban roads at the Ministry of Roads, Hon Mireku Duker, MP for Tarkwa-Nsuaem constituency, Hon Gilbert Ken Asmah, Municipal Chief Executive for Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipality, Mr. Isaac Kwakye, Municipal Coordinating Director for Tarkwa-Nsuaem, National, Regional and Municipal Directors and Engineers of Feeder Roads, Officials of the Western Regional Coordinating Council and Tarkwa-Nsuaem NPP constituency Executives.