We are mindful of 2016 as two key projects in V/R will begin - Francis Ganyaglo

The Deputy Volta Regional Minister, Francis Ganayaglo has emphatically stated that his ruling party the National Democratic Congress (NDC) is mindful about 2016 elections for that matter they are leaving nothing to chance whilst they are considering different strategies to outwit their opponents swiftly.

He said the people of the region should remain calm as all projects they promised them shall be met with success before 2016.

Francis Ganyaglo said, not that the party for that matter government is not aware about the difficulty the region is going through but the burden was great such that it needs a thoughtful strategy to lift them as the patience of people is also running out.

He mentioned that the Volta region being the base of the party for all these years as they continue to be in power, shall be met with giant projects to befit the status of the region which will calm nerves.

He hinted that the first quarter of 2015 will see the start of the construction of two key projects in the region apart from the ongoing ones.

These include the sod cutting of the first international airport and thirty thousand stadium capacity at Ho by President John Mahama. He said though he cannot immediately disclose which of these will come on first, but categorically mentioned that both projects will take off the same time but on separate occasions.

The Deputy Minister revealed this in an exclusive interview with this Freelance Journalist, Charles Agbelie after the commissioning ceremony of carpentry equipment valued at $400 for the Ho-Polytechnic during the Christmas break.

The items were donated by Mrs Beatrice Mensa-Tayui, the Chief Executive Officer and the Executive Chair of Cybele Energy Ghana Limited, a US-Ghanaian based company as part of its corporate social responsibility which was facilitated by African Global Sister Cities Foundation (AGSF).

The energy company is also collaborating with the Polytechnic to establish a Petroleum Engineering faculty beginning next academic year.

To this end, the Deputy Minister said, facilitating the easy travel through the Adomi bridge, the other alternative route through Akuse is being tarred to carry light vehicles while the main Adomi bridge will be completed September 2015, eight months before schedule.

The Minister said the Ho-Adaklu-Sogakofe stretch will also be completed before the first quarter. He explained that government was disappointed in some of the construction companies working on the roads since government gave them the necessary support and various payments were made to the contractors but failed to honour their side of the contract making the people angry with government.

He said for instance, the portion of the untarred side at Adaklu was awarded to PMC Construction Limited though he was paid up-to-date, has failed to come back to site.

On the Eastern corridor roads, he said the Asikuma–Have stretch has been repackaged for the Chinese construction company and will be completed in 15 months while the contractor has also been paid.

Have–Kadjebi stretch also was awarded to Messers Rollida Construction Company which he said all paper works were completed and the contractor is set to begin come January 2015. He explained that Kadjebi–Nkanta-Kpasa–Damango ends are 80 % complete.

He said, if the project is complete, it will reduce travelling to the Northern part of Ghana by eight hours and told the people in the region to re-energise themselves to buy lands to set up businesses such as rest-stops and filling stations along these routes to boost the economy of the region.