About 90% of roads in the Hohoe Township in the Volta Region, have not been constructed contrary to claims by the President at this year’s State of the Nation Address that works were progressing on roads there.
Citi News’ checks reveal that the only roads in the Hohoe Township that have been given minor face-lift, were roads that were done four years ago.
The facts
- The about 300m Hohoe government hospital junction to the hospital, is currently being constructed. It started about a month ago and work is progressing very quickly.
- The second one is the about 250m from the main lorry station junction to the market. This stretch was done about six months ago. Interestingly, the station road that was constructed less than a year ago, has started developing potholes.
- The stretch from the First Ghana Building Society Junction to Gbi Kpeme suburb of Hohoe was given on contract to a contractor called Gohez during the late President Mills’ era. However, not even the drains have been completed. Work on this road stalled even before the demise of the late president. No contractor has since been seen on site. The road today is worse than it was before the construction works commenced.
- The fourth one is the road from the COCOBOD junction to Hohoe EP Senior High School. It was constructed under the late President Mills, and it is a 1km stretch.
The Golokwati to Hohoe stretch of the road mentioned in the state of the nation address, was also constructed during the NPP era in 2003.
The contractor at the time, was Rolider, and the project was commissioned by Hon. Richard Anane.
All other tarred roads within the Hohoe Township, were those constructed by during president Kufour’s era as part of his agenda to tar 5kms of road in each municipal capital.
They include the Hohoe main spine from the station to St. Francis College of Education, and the Bank of Ghana to Hohoe Zongo. That administration also worked on most of the roads in Hohoe Low cost, the municipal assembly junction through electricity to the post office square.
The NDC since taking office, has completed about 1.25km of road, and is currently working on about 300m of roads in Hohoe.
Kpando roads
The story is not different in Kpando,where the only roads that have been under construction for almost 4 years, is the about 2km Kpando Gadza road. Currently, there are a few employees working on drains that never get done.
Road users and residents who live by the roadside suffer daily with the unbearable dust while the work drags on very slowly.
The other road seriously being done, is the information service road which is also just about 2Km. The contractor on the road according to Citi News’ sources, is First Sky Plus.
Effects of poor roads on residents
About 90% of roads in Hohoe and Kpando are in a deplorable state, and they become worst when the rains set in.
Taxi drivers who ply the road charge exorbitant fares anytime they have to use the untarred roads.
As a result, the illegal Okada (Motorbike) business, is flourishing, while the taxi business is dwindling, leaving the drivers with no option than to sell their cars and purchase motorbikes.
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By: Gratham Macintosh/citifmonline.com/Ghana