Kintampo-Techiman toll booth creates jobs for local women

Barely a few months after the Tuobodom toll booth, situated on the Techiman-Kintampo Highway was put up, it has indirectly created jobs for hundreds of women in the Techiman Municipality. The local women from Tuobodom, Tanoboase and Manso, all in the Municipality, have taken advantage of the opportunity created at the toll booth to engage in petty trading and other business activities.

They have occupied both shoulders of the highway, and are selling all kinds of fruits, vegetables, and other foodstuffs. Other food vendors are also gradually moving to do business along the booth. According to some of them, business is brisk here, because of the busy nature of the highway, and that we are able to sell our stuffs to passengers due to constant vehicular traffic at the booth.

When the Ghana News Agency (GNA) visited the toll booth on Wednesday, economics activities were booming. Some of the women were selling credit cards, sachet water as well as fried yam and fish, boiled maize and fresh groundnuts.

Janet Agyeiwaa, a sachet water seller, told the GNA she is able to sell 12 sachet of water daily, which fetches her GH?35. When business is good I can sell more than 15 sachets a day, she added. According to Madam Akosua Ameya, a trader in mangoes and bananas, some of them are able to make GH?150 and GH?200 daily.

But she, however, noted that because of lack of storage facility, several mangoes, pineapples and watermelon go waste. Madam Joyce Anima, who sells watermelon, observed with concern that because the fruit is in abundance, the traders have no option than to sell it at a cheaper price. Aside the economic benefits, the traders undertake their business activities under an unsafe environment as they sell their stuffs closer to the highway.

Mr Andrews Cooper, Supervisor at the toll booth, told the GNA that few days ago a petrol tanker nearly ran over some of the traders when it lost control. He said all attempts to drive them back from the road had failed. But according to the traders, when they move back, it would affect their sales, as passengers and consumers are not ready to get down from their vehicles to patronize their products.

Mr Agyabeng Mensah Abrampa, Brong-Ahafo Regional Manager of the National Road Safety Commission (NRSC), told the GNA that the Techiman-Kintampo highway is the most accident-prone road in the region. He said almost all the 86 deaths recorded in the region through road accidents from January to April this year, occurred on the Highway.

Mr Abrampa expressed concern about uncontrolled over-speeding on the highway, because of the good nature of the road. He said it was against this and a number of reasons that the commission has intensified the passenger empowerment campaign programme launched by the NRSC a few months ago on that particular highway.

Mr Abrampa explained that under the programme, personnel of the commission with support from the Police embarked on a periodic education programme on the highway, to sensitize and empower passengers, to demand safety from drivers whenever they board vehicles.