Wa, Oct. 30, GNA – The Upper West Regional Youth Parliament has called on the government to take the necessary actions to ensure the immediate completion of the Wa-Tumu-Bolgatanga highway to help promote trade and business between the two regions.
It said the completion of that trunk road would also promote agricultural activities in the Sissala East Municipality and the Sissala West District as the farmers would be able to transport the farm produce in large scale to major market centres in the two regions.
Mr James Baba Anabiga, the Speaker of the Upper West Regional Youth Parliament, made the appeal at a press conference in Wa on Thursday.
He explained that the Upper West Region remained the only region in the country that had no good road linking its other parent region of the Upper East.
“Whilst other regions are currently calling for rehabilitation of their tarred roads, the Upper West Region is yet to see a fully constructed tarred road for easy access to Upper East Region despite the countless campaign promises by successive governments,” Mr Anabiga explained.
According to him, it was not enough for the contractors in charge of that road to be on site for many years without completing the project that could be executed within a year or two.
He said since the Sawla-Damango-Fufulso road project with markets and health facilities was completed within three years, it was also possible for the Wa-Tumu-Bolgatanga Road to be completed within a short time.
Mr Anabiga also stressed the need for a tollbooth along the Wa-Babile-Lawra-Hamile stretch to enable the region generate funds for road maintenance.
He observed that the long vehicles that run on that stretch had contributed to the early destruction of the road, hence the need for those vehicles to pay road levies to the region to regularly maintain the roads.
Mr Anaiga also talked on the abandoned Affordable Housing Project in the region, which could have improved the housing situation for the people in the area.
He explained that the sod for that project was cut in 2007, but had since not been completed and called on the government to work to ensure that the project was completed.
Mr Anabiga therefore called on all well-meaning natives of the Upper West Region, including the Upper West Regional caucus in parliament to lobby for the swift execution of those projects for the development of the region.
GNA