The deplorable state of the Adum-Banso road
Social media has been awash with comments that highlight inherent social and development challenges in Adum-Banso in the Western region and the Mpohor district.
The debate was generated by Paa Kwesi Agyeifi, a journalism student, on his Facebook wall stated:
"I have the conviction that the actions and inactions of our traditional and opinion leaders from the Western Region are the cause for our underdevelopment as a region. Almost everything that brings cash to this country comes from there, yet we have nothing to show for it. Take Tarkwa for example, a place where Gold and other minerals have been mined for many years, yet they have the worse roads. Laughably, the only roundabout in Tarkwa is made of a Car Tyre. That is how bad it is. Western North, including the Sefwi and the Wassa area, produces the highest amount of Cocoa for the country, but they are still in the bushes with no single monument or decent amenity to boast of. It is time our leaders begin to realize that the praise singing over the years has yielded nothing in terms of development. I commend the Youth of Adum- Banso for their recent actions to drum home the need for at least a tarred road and other developmental projects into the community".
Contributing, Joel E.A Smith, said" they say the best comes from the west but now it is like the worst is in the West. God help us".
Doris Bowuah on her part wrote: "They re just up there chopping what others have worked for. hmmmmm #we Need change".
It would be recalled that on 28 June 2018, ABDAN presented a petition to the Office of the President, Ministries of Roads and Highways, Local Government and Rural Development, Mpohor District Chief Executive, and the Western regional minister, but the group did not receive a favourable response. On 23 July 2018, the group issued a second petition, which as it were, was to amplify the intention of communities within a catchment area in the Mpohor district to begin series of social protests to back their appeal for the extension of the Apowa-Kejebil road to Adum-Banso, and change of name of the district to Mpohor Wassa Fiase Central.
Consequently, at a town hall meeting held in Adum-Banso, Alex Kofi Agyekum, MP for Mpohor constituency, was said to have expressed his dissatisfaction about such petitions, their irrelevance, and why the chiefs in the area could not discuss their issues with President Akufo-Addo when he visited the district, but allowed only the paramount chief of Mpohor to deliver a speech that concentrated on the fight against galamsey.
The emotionally charged NPP MP was also said to have chastised the people for blaming government on why their grievances have not been addressed. A question and answer session that was to collate views could not yield any positive result due to the MP’s use of what the people described as unprintable words.
