Work commences on feeder roads in South Tongu, Keta Districts

Adutor (V/R), April 28, GNA - Government has cut the sod for work to begin on 27.44 kilometres feeder roads project in the South Tongu District and the Keta Municipality of the Volta Region to open up the communities to intensive and sustainable agribusiness.

The construction of the road valued at US$5.88 million will facilitate easy access to several major farming communities in the two districts. Speaking at the sod cutting ceremony on Tuesday, Dr Nii Quaye-Kumah, Deputy Minister of Roads and Highways said, poor road infrastructure inhibited the expansion of agricultural opportunities by limiting linkages to major domestic and international markets.

This explains why the Millennium Challenge Corporation's funding under the agricultural project was to improve feeder roads in the intervention zones and also facilitate access to markets and to social services in order to enhance the growth of agriculture.

"It is our expectation that these interventions will eventually bring improvements in the welfare and living conditions of many of our people who are engaged on the land," Dr Quaye-Kumah said.

The Deputy Minister appealed to residents, who would be affected by the project, to cooperate with the consultants in charge of resettlement as well as the contractors for successful completion of the job.

"I can assure you that the Millennium Development Authority (MiDA) will compensate all project affected persons appropriately," he said. Dr Quaye-Kumah asked the contractors Justmoh-Erdmac JV, to ensure that the feeder roads, which were major contribution to Ghana's Road Infrastructure, built them to agreed specifications so that these roads would last long and become a legacy to stakeholders, the beneficiaries and the financiers.

Professor Samuel Sefa-Dedeh, Chairman of the Board of Directors of MiDA, said support for rural farmers to improve on their farming practices would help to attract new capital investments, increase household incomes and improve standards of living in farming communities. MiDA, he said, had already provided free entrepreneurial and technical training to over 40,000 farmers, which helped to enhance their knowledge of new approaches to farming, improved their marketing skills and knowledge of value-chain linkages.

"Many of these trained farmers have benefited from over $18 million in agro-credits disbursed to date.

Prof Sefa-Dedeh said MiDA was on course to providing infrastructure for post-harvest handling to enhance produce quality, reduce post-harvest losses and boost food security.

"We are also providing electricity for economic use within some farming communities, building and furnishing schools for the children and providing potable water and improved sanitation facilities to reduce the incidence of disease," he added.

Colonel (Rtd) Cyril Necku, Deputy Volta Regional Minister, said the road works, were a demonstration of government commitment to enhancing the lives of the citizenry in communities in the country.