Deputy Minister for Roads and Highways Alhassan Suhuyini has praised the progress of work on the 90km Wa-Han-Tumu road corridor, saying the project is now 10% ahead of schedule.
Mr Suhuyini said the scale of the transformation was evident after only a few months of construction and described the pace of work by the contractors as encouraging.
He made the comments during an inspection of the project on Thursday, September 3. The deputy minister said the condition of the road had changed significantly since an earlier assessment, when officials had travelled along sections of the corridor on foot.
“This road doesn’t look anywhere near what we saw a couple of months back when we trekked on it, and it is heartening, the level of transformation this road has seen in the last couple of months,” he said.
The government was particularly encouraged by the project’s performance against its timetable, Mr Suhuyini said.
“We are impressed by the level of work we have seen. It is heart-warming to realise that they are 10% ahead of schedule,” Mr Suhuyini stated.
However, he warned contractors that the progress made so far must be sustained. He said being ahead of schedule came with an expectation that the current momentum would be maintained until the work was completed.
“And like we have told other contractors before now who are ahead of schedule, our expectation is that they do not slide back,” he said.
The deputy minister added that the contractors should aim to complete and hand over the project before the agreed deadlines.
“We expect that they will maintain the same pace of work and finish these projects before time and hand them over as soon as possible,” he added.
The Wa-Han-Tumu corridor has been neglected for a long period, according to Mr Suhuyini. He said the construction project was intended to improve the connection between Ghana’s Upper East and Upper West Regions.
“This corridor has been neglected for a very long time and the intention to connect the two Regions of Upper East and Upper West is being realised by the hard work of these contractors,” he stated.
The road is expected to support wider economic activity in the area once completed. Mr Suhuyini said improved access along the corridor would be particularly important for agriculture, which is a key focus of the government’s objective for the enclave.
“We believe that after this is done, it will contribute to the growth of agriculture in this enclave,” Mr Suhuyini said.
His comments came as the government assessed the latest stage of construction and the contractors’ progress against the project schedule. With work currently reported to be ahead of plan, the focus is now on ensuring that the pace does not slow and that the corridor is delivered as soon as possible.
