Atwima-Mponua votes money to fix bad roads

The Atwima-Mponua District Assembly, has voted GH¢ 61,820.00 to carry out urgent maintenance works on some deteriorated feeder roads in the area.

A total stretch of 33.2 kilometres (km) would be covered and these include the 16.5 km Nyinahin-Kyekyewere, 4.5 km Ahyiresu Junction –Nyamebekyere and 13.2 km Debra Camp-Wansamire roads.

Mr Stephen Yeboah, District Chief Executive, told Ghana News Agency (GNA), that the contractors awarded the job had already moved their equipment to site.

The poor nature of roads running through the predominantly cocoa area has become a huge disincentive to agricultural production and also negatively impacting healthcare delivery.

The District Health Director, Mr George Kwadwo Kyei-Fram says the state of affairs is not only hampering health outreach programmes but making it difficult for pregnant women and the sick to access health facilities.

Reporters of the GNA had visited the area under STAR-Ghana’s media auditing and tracking of development projects, an initiative launched to put the spotlight on how government’s resources are helping to transform the lives of the people, particularly the rural population.

The goal, which is meant to aid transparency, promote accountability and good governance is being sponsored by STAR-Ghana, a multi-donor pooled organisation.

Mr Yeboah said the bad nature of the roads is also due to the activities of illegal miners.

He said in some places the miners had dug trenches across roads in their desperate search for the gold ore and asked the people to act to stop the massive destruction of the forest, water bodies and roads.

The Atwima-Mponua is the second largest district in Ashanti Region in terms of land size, and its population mainly engages in cocoa farming.