Roads under Mahama 'phenomenal' - Inusah Fuseini

Government insists the construction of roads in the country under President John Dramani Mahama is “unprecedented” and “phenomenal” despite accusations from the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) that the government was lying about its road projects.

Speaking to Class News about road construction in the Western Region on Wednesday August 17, Roads and Highways Minister, Alhaji Inusah Fuseini described the achievement in the sector as unmatched.

Listing some roads in the Western Region to buttress his point, Mr. Fuseini said: “... We’ve done the Fijai road, we’ve done the Agona Junction-Elubo road, we’ve done many roads in the Western Region, but admittedly, there are still roads to be done but no one can take it from the NDC and from His Excellency John Dramani Mahama that in the last three years, the development of road infrastructure in the Western Region just like across the country, has been clearly unprecedented, indeed, it’s phenomenal,” he stated.

But Deputy Ranking member of the Select Committee on Roads and Transport in Parliament, Mr Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah said the road infrastructure under the current administration constitutes one percent of roads constructed in the erstwhile Kufuor government

“I strongly believe that first and foremost the Minister’s statement that the president’s statement that road infrastructure development under the Mills-Mahama administration is unprecedented is not true. I was thinking the minister will back his words with figures. In fact, President Mahama has only achieved one percent of what is expected of him. 99 per cent of work has not been done,” he told Class News.

“…The minister is talking about asphalt overlays in Sekondi-Takoradi; when you do asphalt, after 15 years you are supposed to overlay them and that is not the cost, the cost of real road infrastructure is rebuilding roads and under President Kufuor, we did over 8,000 new road constructions. … When it comes to expansion of networks, you’ve done just 3,772km. President Kufuor did 55,000km. These are documents available at the Ministry,” the Takoradi lawmaker added.