Work on the Eastern Corridor roads to start by May

Mr Joe Gidisu, Minister of Roads and Highways, has announced that three contractors will begin work on the Eastern Corridor road before the end of May.

He said the Eastern Corridor road stretches from Asikuma in the Eastern Region through the Central and Northern portions of Volta Region to the Northern regions of Ghana.

Mr Gidisu said this at a public forum on the Road Fund in Ho on Thursday on the theme: “Financing Road Maintenance”.

The Forum seeks to explain the rationale for road tolls and other levies that go into the Road Fund and also inform stakeholders on the role of the fund in financing road maintenance.

He said statistics showed that the Volta Region is above the national average in terms of road projects.

He said currently the fund is able to cater for only 60 per cent of road projects every year leaving a deficit of 40 per cent.

Mr Gidisu said the budget for road agencies in 2011 was GH¢326 million out of which the Fund was able to meet only GH¢94 million leaving a gap of GH¢232 million.

He said total debts to contractors in the sector stood at GH¢175 million by February 2012 and that there was the need to maximise revenue into the fund given the fact that the road sector has remained the prime mover of economic activities.

He appealed to stakeholders in the road sector to offer suggestions that could help improve revenue inflows into the fund.

Mr Henry Ametefe, Deputy Volta Regional Minister, urged road engineers to monitor the numerous road projects scattered all over the region to ensure their long life.