Poverty reduction in
Upper West means good road network
Wa, Sept 27,
Ghanadot/GNA – Mr. George Hikah Benson, Upper West
Regional Minister has observed that any meaningful
poverty reduction strategy in the Region would
require the availability of good feeder road network
to facilitate the movement of goods and services.
He said the deplorable condition of roads had been a
source of worry to the chiefs and people in the
Region.
He said because of the heavy rains the Region
experienced last year and this year, roads in the
area had deteriorated and needed urgent
rehabilitation.
Mr Benson raised these concerns at a public forum on
financing road maintenance in Ghana in Wa.
The Ghana Road Fund organised the forum to sensitise
the public and stakeholders on the Fund and
financing of road maintenance in the country.
Mr Benson said some parts of the Region had been
completely cut off during the rainy season.
He mentioned the Tumu-Sissili-Navrongo, Tumu–Ham,
Wahabu-Funsi-Sombisi and Tumu Hamile roads, among
others as some of the important roads that had not
been accessible during the rainy season.
He called for the regular maintenance of roads in
the Region to facilitate the movement of people,
goods and foodstuffs from the food producing areas
to the market centres in the Region.
The Upper West Region has a total road network of
4,481 kilometres comprising highways, urban roads
and feeder roads.
Mr Benson said the few good roads in the Region were
also not regularly maintained due to lack of funds.
These shortcomings impact negatively on agricultural
production resulting in foodstuffs getting rotten at
farm gates.
“Most of our people in the rural areas depend on the
sale of agricultural produce for their livelihood
and as losers, the vicious cycle of poverty becomes
more and more entrenched,” Mr Benson said.
“Our people in such circumstance are compelled to
travel on foot with their head loads of foodstuffs
to sell at cheaper prices to middlemen and other
intermediaries at urban marketing centres,” he
added.
GNA
