VEEP orders construction of new road in Keta Municipality

Anyanui (VR), May 8, GNA - Vice President John Dramani Mahama, on Saturday ordered the Ghana Highways Authority to as a matter of urgency construct a new road to facilitate economic activities in three communities in the Keta Municipality.

The communities, Akpuwotokor, Dzita and Anyanui with about 17,000 inhabitants have for some months now been cut-off from other parts of the Municipality due to heavy tidal waves that had washed away the main road leading to Anyanui.

The Vice President gave this order when he visited the affected communities to learn at first hand the extent of damage the waves had caused in the area.

Numerous houses along the road have been washed away with few people left sandwiched between the sea and the Keta Lagoon. Residents in these communities now walk over 10 kilometres from Anyanui before boarding Vehicles at Akpuwotokor to link up to other parts of the country.

The Vice President was not spared the agony the people go through when he had to get down from his vehicle to help push one of the vehicles in his convoy vehicles that got stuck on its way to the communities. Vice President Mahama said the construction of the new road was a short term measure to ameliorate their plight of the people and gave the assurance that government was sourcing funds to build a lasting sea defence wall to save the communities from intermittent displacements.

He said "You are Ghanaians like others elsewhere and we shall not allow you to keep on suffering from these natural disasters. You deserve to be treated better and we shall ensure that you all benefit from your toil." The Vice President, who also addressed mini durbars at Dzita and Akputotokor appealed to the people to support government to enable it to provide them with amenities.

He presented relief items made up of clothing, rice, cooking oil and plastics from the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) to the victims.

Vice President Mahama asked the community heads to ensure that women and children who were mostly affected by the disaster benefited from the items.

Mr. Mikail Kemevor, Assembly member for Apuwotokor, commended the Vice President for responding promptly to plight of the people and promised that the items would be fairly shared among the communities involved in the disaster.