President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has cut the sod for reconstruction works to commence on the 66-kilometer road from Tarkwa to Agona-Nkwanta in the Western Region.
The project, estimated to cost 95 million Euros, would be undertaken by M/S Gabriel Couto-Rango Consortium and is expected to be completed in 36 months.
It includes the construction of a two- way single carriage apathetic concrete finish, drainage works, provision of street lights for all towns and villages along the Tarkwa-Agona-Nkwanta stretch, walkways, road line markings and sign posts to ensure safety of drivers and pedestrians.
Addressing a durbar at the University of Mines and Technology Basic School at Tarkwa, the President expressed gratitude to the people of Tarkwa-Nsuaem for voting massively for him and the Member of Parliament, Mr George Mireku Duker.
He said Mr Duker, also the Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, had initiated two community mining projects in the Ashanti Region and would soon commission one in Tarkwa to create employment for the youth.
President Akufo-Addo promised to allocate a school bus to the Benso Senior High Technical School in response to a request made by the Divisional Chief of Mahamamo, Nana Kwabena Gyan II.
The President appealed to residents of Tarkwa-Nsuaem to have confidence in the New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration and propagate the good works of the government, adding: “We will work hard to ensure Tarkwa becomes the Johannesburg of West Africa”
The Minister of Roads and Highways, Mr Kwasi Amoako-Attah, said the project coincided with the second-year-of-roads as declared by the President.
He said: “M/S Gabriel Couto-Rango Consortium won this award competitively and it is one of the best in our country.”
“The President has ensured that the contract sum is available and once this project commences it will never stop until it is fully completed”.
“The Parliamentary approval for this project was given for both commercial and financial agreement on August 10, 2020 so this project is on a sound footing to take off”.
Mr Amoako-Attah said the project had adopted an environmentally friendly technology of recycling all the existing pavement materials into the new road to save cost, time, energy, soil and aggregate.
He noted that upon completion the Tarkwa Township would be elevated into a modern city with all the necessary amenities and urged the contractors to work within the time schedules, and even at night, to help complete the work on time.
“As directed by the President for all such project there would be a quota for local contractors. The contractors have been informed to engage local artisans so this project is going to offer more employment to the indigenes,” he added.
The Ghana Highway Authority would be the implementing agency while the Ministry of Roads and Highways would have the oversight responsibility, he said.
Mr Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah, the Western Regional Minister, commended the President for the completion of the Tarkwa-Agona-Nkwanta road to address the challenges faced by commuters.
Nana Gyan, on his part, appealed to the government to speed up work on the Kojokrom-Awaso railway line to facilitate the transportation of bauxite, manganese, timber and other raw materials to the Takoradi Port.
The Tarkwa-Agona-Nkwanta route is usually referred to as the Inter-Regional Route 6 (IR6) under the Trunk Road System of the Ministry of Roads and Highways to connect the mineral and agriculture-rich towns in the Ashanti, Western North and Central regions to the Takoradi Port.
Major mining towns such as Bibiani, Sefwi Wiaoso, Obuasi, Dunkwa-On-Offin, Ayamfuri and Tarkwa all use this road to access Takoradi, Accra and La Cote D’Ivoire.
GNA
