New roads improving lives in the Volta Region

When the rains begin this year, residents of three communities in the Keta Municipality in the Volta Region will no longer need to paddle a canoe or manoeuvre a tricky wooden bridge through dangerous waters to move to their destinations from Bleamezado.

This follows the construction of a 3.5-km road through the Avunoe Lagoon, which for many decades acted as a natural barrier between Bleamezado and Agorbledokui, Sakome and Kegbi.

The Volta Regional Director of the Department of Urban Roads (DUR), Mr Prosper Anornu, described the project as strategic and one designed to improve the living conditions of the people in that part of the region.

“The project may seem small but the impact is huge,” he stated.

Following the partial completion of the road, the 219 pupils from the Sakome LA Basic School can now get to school easily and safely on foot or by vehicle.

Interview

The Headmaster of Sakome LA Basic School, Mr Benjamin Asafo, in an interview, said the construction of the road had changed the entire system of the school and improved punctuality of both teachers and pupils.

‘In the past, there wasn’t any accessible road to the school. We walked from far distances, yet we had to cross rivers before getting to the school.

Thank God a road which leads directly to the school has been constructed and it is now easy for the children and teachers to come to school. Now I get to school between 5-10 minutes on my motorbike. Teachers are also punctual. It has changed everything. The entire system of the school has changed and that is how helpful the road has been,” he said.

CHIP compound to be revived

Similarly, the Community Health Improvement Programme (CHIP) compound which was abandoned by personnel due to the lack of access road is also expected to be revived.

Residents of Agorbledokui, Sakome and Kegbi had to wade through waters, which became even more difficult during the peak of the raining season. This according to residents badly affected access to education, health and the pursuit of other socio-economic activities.

“Imagine carrying a bag of cement on your head for nearly four kilometers. You know the weight of cement but we were compelled to carry that and many others because there was no other access. If it rains, you cannot go at all because the path becomes very slippery. Now that we have this road, we are very grateful,” Mr Alex Tengey stated.

People in these communities harvest among others sugarcane, tomatoes, firewood, tilapia, mudfish among others.

“For us to carry our farm produce, fish and firewood to the nearest village is very difficult but that has changed,” Mr Tengey added.

The Municipal Chief Executive of Keta, Mr Sylvester Tornyeavah, commended the DUR for the intervention stating that the area had been a very difficult one.

“You can only access the area by canoe or you wade through water. Very difficult area with about 500 people. We made an appeal to the government and the construction of this road by the DUR has really transformed the area and improved the economic lives of the people.”

“Incidentally, I come from that place and it has improved my work as the municipal chief executive. We are so grateful,” he added.

The Avunoe Lagoon

Residents in the three communities are predominantly fishermen and farmers. The Avunoe Lagoon is a tourist attraction hosting the sitatunga specie, which is found only in that area in the whole of Africa. “We expect tourism to improve with the construction of the road,” he stated.

Currently, the road terminates in the Sakome village but its continuation 1.5km to the Akatsi village will help commuters traverse in and out of the Keta Municipality easily.

The Volta Regional office of the DUR undertook several road projects including resealing, sealing and surfacing as well as upgrading works.

Other works

Messrs Bra-Gha Limited is, for instance, undertaking the upgrading of the Sommey main and Akpenamawu roads. The 5.9 km road project started in March 2015 after it had been awarded on January 27, 2012. “There have been delays on this project but the contractor has earnestly resumed work and the project is expected to be completed soon.”

Similarly, the partial reconstruction of the RTC Park Road to Sommey Road, Togbe Adzima Road, SSNIT/VORADEP office Road and Residency Road extension are ongoing. The contractor has carried out base work and primer sealed the Togbe Adzima, RTC and Residency road extension. “With physical work about 78 per cent, we expect the contractor to complete the work on schedule,” Mr Anornu stated.

Resealing of selected roads in Ho including the Togbe Tawiah, Dome Housing, Electoral Commission, Ring Road, SSNIT-Flat, Glala, Old Traffic Light, Muvie, Asanyame and Togbe Afede Secretariat roads is being executed by Messrs DeGosh Limited. The project was awarded in March last year and it is nearing completion, as work done so far is about 98 percent.

Asphalt overlay programme

The region will also benefit from the asphalt overlay programme of the Department of Urban Roads. The Ho Municipality will benefit from 25km of its roads being asphalted under the Phase I of the programme. Some of the roads that will benefit from the programme include the Dome Market Road, Lokoe to Civic Centre, Ola to Dornorkordzi, Residency Road, Ring Road, Dome Housing, Barracks Road, Palace Road, Ahoe roundabout to Allied Oil Road and the CK Road.

The other towns in the region to benefit from the programme include Hohoe, Keta, Aflao and Kpando.

According to Mr Anornu, the asphalt overlay programme will help reduce the huge cost the department has been spending on patching potholes any time the rains set in.