The Government has embarked on a 150 million-dollar project to improve the road condition of cocoa growing areas.
The project, a collaboration between the Ministry of Roads and Highways and the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), would aim at facilitating the transportation of the cocoa beans from rural communities to the ports.
Roads and Highways Minister, Alhaji Inusah Fuseini who announced these in Parliament in response to a number of questions relating to the construction and rehabilitation of roads in some rural areas, said the project was targeting only roads in cocoa growing areas.
He said unlike previous programmes where funds meant for the construction of roads in cocoa growing areas were utilised for making roads in non-cocoa growing areas, the COCOBOD-Funded Rural Roads in Cocoa Growing Areas Programme would only be implemented in areas where the crop is cultivated.
Notable among the targeted roads, he said, was the 9km Proso-Anhwiafutu Junction Road in the Juaboso District in the Western Region.
He said the road, which formed part of the Juaboso Junction-Bonsu Nkwanta Feeder Road, had been selected for bituminous surfacing under the COCOBOD funded programme.
Replying another question posed by Dr. Kwabena Twum-Nuamah, MP for Berekum East, who wanted to know when the construction of the road between Seikwa and Berekum Junction would be completed, the Minister said construction of the road was ongoing and would be completed by June next year.
He explained, “Berekum-Seikwa Road is 33km long. It is a gravel road located in the Berekum and Tain Districts of the Brong Ahafo Region. The road has been awarded on contract for upgrading to bituminous surfacing.”
Alhaji Fuseini said the contractor had executed 50 per cent of the concrete works, 100 per cent earthworks, 22 per cent laying of sub-base and base and nine per cent of seal works.
The Minister also answered to questions on the Adawomasi-Asonomaso Nkwanta Feeder Road, which is part of the Asonomaso Nkwanta-Adanwomasi-Bonwire Feeder Road.
He said engineering studies would be conducted on the Asonomaso Nkwanta-Adanwomasi-Bonwire-Bamang Junction during the fourth quarter of 2015, while the outcome of the studies would inform the necessary interventions to be taken.
The House also took the Right to Information Bill through second reading. Debate on the Bill would continue on Thursday July, 2.
