Tema, May 17, GNA – Mr Edwin Nii Lantey Vanderpuye, the National Coordinator of the District Road Improvement Programme (DRIP), has commenced a nationwide inspection of the programme’s equipment distributed to the various metropolitan, municipal, and district assemblies (MMDAs).
Mr Vanderpuye is inspecting with a technical team from the J.A. Plant Pool Ghana Limited, the leading supplier of heavy-duty equipment in Ghana, and the official distributor of LiuGong construction machinery.
The inspection of DRIP’s fleet of heavy-duty equipment is to ensure their operational readiness ahead of the programme’s 2025 rollout.
The DRIP programme, which was launched in 2024 by the former government, was aimed at empowering the MMDAs with the tools and resources needed to rehabilitate and maintain roads in their areas to enhance road networks across the country.
The ongoing inspection forms part of DRIP’s broader strategy to ensure accountability, efficiency, and sustainability in its operations.
Mr Vanderpuye, during the inspection, expressed deep concern over the poor maintenance of equipment and the absence of suitable infrastructure to shelter them.
He stated that “Unfortunately, many of the machines are left under the sun and rain without any protection,” and therefore urged the assemblies to urgently construct sheds to preserve these national assets.
The national DRIP Coordinator further admonished district coordinating directors and engineers over what he described as negligence and a poor maintenance culture and expressed dismay at machines that were not cleaned after use, warning that such practices threaten the long-term functionality of the equipment.
“We cannot allow these expensive machines to rot away. Every piece of equipment must be cleaned and properly maintained,” he said.
He urged DRIP coordinators and machine operators at the district level to adopt a renewed sense of responsibility and pride in managing the government investments in the equipment.
He was accompanied by Mr Samuel Aboagye, Deputy Director-General of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), and Ing. Ebenezer Danquah, Ashanti Regional Liaison Officer of J.A. Plant Pool Ghana Ltd.
GNA
LS/KOA