Ghana Highway Authority holds annual conference

Agona Swedru, March 13, GNA- Mr. Godfrey Bayon Tangu, Minister of State, for Transportation has stated that government spent 40.20 million dollars on trunk roads in 2005 to enhance socio-economic development of the country. He said this was complemented by financial support from development partners and enterprises funded from the government's development budget.

Mr. Tangu said this when he opened a two-day Management and Directors Annual Conference of the Ghana High Authority (GHA) at Agona Swedru in the Central Region. He assured the GHA that government is committed to the development and maintenance of the country's road network through a high level of investment in the road sub-sector and the human capital.

The Minister said the Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy policy include highway construction, enhancement of accessibility to markets through improved farm/feeder roads and improved linkages to urban markets were objectives aimed at supporting the government's efforts of providing basic access to reduce incidence of poverty among the people.

He noted that GHA has responsibility for the reconstruction and maintenance of the nation's 13,467 Kilometre road network which constituted about 22 percent of the country's total road network.

Mr Tangu stated that government was prepared to achieving her objectives in the provision of trunk roads as set out in this year's national budget, adding that the Authority was expected to execute about twenty-one civil work contracts totalling 770 kilometres and it was estimated that about 40-50 of the works would be undertaken this year. The Minister said training and human resource developments were important aspects of human capacity building for effective services delivery, adding that it was critical management function which no organization can ignore or do away with.

He stressed that, attitudinal change in supervisory position is important if not critical to the achievement of the government's road sub-sector programme and urged GHA to demand and take consultants to task in terms of the contracts and services they have undertaken.

Mr. Tangu expressed the hope that the relatively peaceful industrial atmosphere which prevailed among the staff of the Authority last year would be sustained this year to enable them to execute the government's trunk road infrastructure agenda. Mr. Eric Oduro-Konadu, Chief Executive of the Ghana Highway Authority said GHA supervised 25 ongoing road development projects totalling 988 km, out of this, six projects totalling 213 KM were had been completed.

The roads were Tingo-Bole, Manso-Amenfi-Asankrangwa, Mallam-Kasoa, Winneba-Yamoransa, Konogo-Kumasi and Panteng-Peduase Lodge roads. He said ten road projects totalling 364.3 km and two bridges have reached various stages of preparation for implementation and expressed the hope that expected assistance would come from the government and development partners.

Mr. Oduro-Konadu expressed gratitude to the government, Ministry Transportation and Development Partners for their continued assistance and support to enable the Authority to execute its projects.