GHANA MP INSPECT AGONA NKWANTA-TARKWA ROAD PROJECT

Member of Parliament for Tarkwa-Nsuaem, Mr. George Mireku Duker, on inspected the 67km Agona Nkwanta- Tarkwa road project being executed by M/S Rango-Gabriel Cuoto Consortium.

The visit to the Wassa Simpa Campsite and inspection of work on the Wassa Agona and Effunta sections was to afford Mr. Duker, a Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, the opportunity to assess the progress of the project and also, together with Parliament and the ministry, address some teething challenges.

The project would link Tarkwa one of Ghana’s major economic hubs to the port city of Takoradi and the national route, N1, which connects Ghana to Cote d’Ivoire.

It would also connect the mineral and agriculture-rich lands in Western, Ashanti, Western North, and Central regions, becoming the efficient route to haul gold, manganese, cocoa, bauxite, and timber to Takoradi.

The resident engineer, Mr. Eben Gyampo, reported that after the sod-cutting on September 2021, the design phase took engineers a while before they got approval in July, this year, for work to begin.

So far, he said, the contractor had done about two-and-half-months of work on drainage works at Nsuaem, Wassa Simpa, Wassa Agona, and Effuanta, at Tarkwa.

Earthworks, Mr. Gyampo mentioned, were also ongoing from the Apemanim end towards Tarkwa and at WassaAgona.

“Major activities carried out include drainage of about 2km and for completion, we have done about 18 percent. The 95 million Euros project funded by Deutche Bank AG Frankfurt Germany isto be completed in 36 months(31st August 2024) and we have done two months, and so, we have less than two years to complete the job,” he explained.

The resident engineer added that the campsite at WassaSimpa would produce concrete for drains and asphalt for the entire project.

Mr. Duker said, he lobbied on the floor of Parliament for the Tarkwaroad project to be approved and executed, stressing that the government was eager to see the success of the project.

Commending Gabriel Cuoto and team, he believed that work including excavations and clearing which was gathering momentum showed the project would be speeded-up and completed on time to ease the burden of the communities along the stretch.

Mr. Duker admitted that difficulties such as proximity to gravel supplies and the crash program at Appiatse had affected progress, but assured that all stakeholders would help address the gaps for the successful completion of the Agona-Tarkwa road project.

He recalled his experience during President Kufuor’s tenure when earlier attempts to get the Tarkwa road reconstructed suffered major setbacks and the road began deteriorating because the base materials were not certified.

This time, Mr. Duker observed that Ghana Highway Authority had done due diligence on the quality for the road to the last longer.

He was happy that contractors agreed to also start from the Tarkwa and Effuanta and WassaAgona ends to reduce the pressure on the government and also the worries of the communities.