Traders and commercial drivers, who plied the Koforidua-Ada-Asesewa road in the Eastern Region, have expressed discomfort about the worsening condition of the stretch and appealed to the government to reshape it to facilitate their movements and economic activities.
The traders, who made the appeal through an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA), said the bad nature of the road had not only slowed down their economic activities, but had a devastating effect on their health and wellbeing.
Madam Afrane, a market woman at Nkurakan, a farming community in the area, told the GNA that she had been buying painkillers whenever she used the road and returned from the market.
Bright Narh, popularly known as “Anyemi,” a commercial driver who plied the Adukrom-Oterkporlu-Asesewa-Nkurakan portion of the stretch remarked that it was uncomfortable to ply the road, which was always dusty in the dry and muddy in the wet seasons.
“We only spend our daily sales to repair our vehicles due to the nature of the road,” he said.
During a visit, the GNA noticed the Nkurakan-Apesua-Huhunya-Klo-Agogo-Obawale-Sikabeng-Oterkporlu-Asesewa stretch was in a bad shape.
The untarred road had developed several potholes, posing threats to the life of commuters, motorists, passengers and drivers, as hundreds of traders and market women used the stretch mostly on Mondays and Fridays, being the market days at Nkurakan, Akate, Klo-Agogo and Asesewa.
Checks showed the same stretch connects to the Boti and Akaa WaterFalls, as well as “Umbrella Rock,” and other beautiful tourist destination sites in the Yilo and Manya Krobo areas.
As one of the busiest roads in the region, the stretch further links towns and communities within the Upper Manya, Lower Manya, Yilo Krobo Municipalities as well as the Asuogyaman and Okere Districts to Koforidua, the Eastern regional capital.
Some passengers also used the road connecting the Northern and Southern parts of the Volta Regions, Tema and parts of the Greater Accra Region.
Due to the dusty nature of the road, many shops at Apesua, Kwasi Diaka and Huhunya communities, as well as some fuel filling stations had stopped operating.
Mary Tamatey, a provision shopkeeper, told the GNA that “We only inhale the dust emanating from the road when we come to work. Our daily sales have gone down and we plead with the government to do something about the road”.
The GNA gathered that several operators of food joints, and hairdressing salons along the road had also closed their shops contemplating relocating their businesses.
Mr Joseph Lawer, a dealer in hardware at Nkurakan confirmed the road had been awarded on contract, the contractor had not been seen on site for years.
Some students of the Apesua Community Senior High School along the stretch said the dusty nature of the road was affecting their health.
When contacted, Mr Emmanuel Tetteh Kwao, the Assemblyman for Nkurakan Central Electoral Area, alleged that because the contract was awarded at the national level, they were unable to trace the contractor.
He said his outfit had written officially to Mr Eric Tetteh, the Municipal Chief Executive, and urged the residents and users of the road to remain calm, as he followed up with the letter.
Mr Kwao said the bad nature of the road was having a negative effect on revenue mobilisation, saying it was difficult for revenue collectors to collect taxes at the markets, communities and businesses along the stretch.
He said Mondays and Thursdays were market days at the Nkurakan market, Tuesdays and Fridays at Klo-Agogo markets, Wednesdays and Saturdays at Akate market and Fridays at Asesewa market, saying the assembly could mobilize more revenue for development if the road was put in good shape.
