WORK STARTS ON FOUR FEEDER ROADS (BACK PAGE, APRIL 20, 2010)

THE sod has been cut for the commencement of work on four feeder roads in the Kpando District and the Hohoe municipality under the transportation project of the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA).
The projects are aimed at facilitating access to markets for agricultural produce to enhance the growth of agriculture in the two areas.
They are also expected to bring improvement in the living conditions of a good number of people engaged in farming.
The kilometres of roads to be constructed is 25.64 and the roads include the Kpandu-Kudzra, Kudzra-Aveti, Tafi Mador-Jordanu and Leklebi-Ve Agorme-Ve Deme. They are expected to be completed in 20 months.
In an address read on his behalf, the Minister of Roads and Highways, Mr Joe Gidisu, observed that poor road infrastructure inhibited the expansion of agricultural opportunities by limiting linkages to major domestic and international markets.
“That is why the emphasis on the MCA’s funding under the agricultural project is to undertake improvement in feeder roads in the intervention zones,” he explained.
Mr Gidisu appealed to those who would be affected by the project to co-operate with the consultants in charge of resettlement and the contractors who would be working on the roads, adding that appropriate traffic management plans would be put in place to mitigate the effects of any inconvenience motorists and pedestrians might endure because of the construction activities.
He also gave the assurance that the Millennium Development Authority (MiDA) would appropriately compensate all project-affected persons and expressed the hope that the contractors on the project, Justmoh Construction Limited, would build them to the agreed specifications.
The Chief Executive Officer of MiDA, Mr Martin Esson-Benjamin, said the goal of the MCA Ghana Project was to support economic activities in rural farming communities and reduce the incidence of poverty in some 30 districts across the three intervention zones.
The programme, he said, put together various sectors of the economy which were directly related to agriculture to allow for a fuller exploitation of the agricultural potential of the zones.
That, he noted, would help transform agricultural practices, attract capital investments, increase household incomes and improve standards of living.
The Volta Regional Minister, Mr Joseph Amenowode, in an address read on his behalf, said the projects were a demonstration of the government’s commitment to embark on a comprehensive programme to ensure that roads in the country were made motorable all-year round to allow for easy access.