By Christiana Afua Nyarko, GNA
Accra, May 9, GNA – Ongoing land clearance for the proposed Accra-Kumasi Expressway has affected some property owners and farmers along sections of the project corridor.
The exercise, being undertaken by the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF), forms part of preparatory works for the construction of the expressway linking Accra and Kumasi through parts of the Greater Accra, Eastern and Ashanti Regions.
Sources close to the project told the Ghana News Agency that arrangements were underway for engagements with affected persons in collaboration with the relevant ministry and other state agencies.
The sources said the engagement would address issues relating to compensation, valuation, and the broader implementation process of the project.
They said the Government remained committed to ensuring fairness and due process in its dealings with all affected persons.
Some residents and landowners whose structures, farms and properties fall within the designated right-of-way have expressed concerns on various media platforms, including social media, over the impact of the exercise on their livelihoods and investments.
The GAF recently announced that its engineers had cleared about 17.75 kilometres of land within the project corridor as part of preliminary works on the expressway project.
General William Agyapong, Chief of the Defence Staff, during a working visit to the project site near Akyem Oda in the Eastern Region, commended troops involved in the operation and urged them to sustain the momentum to ensure timely completion of the preparatory phase.
Major Evans Biney, Project Engineer, said the exercise formed a critical component of the initial phase of the 175.6-kilometre corridor development.
He identified compensation valuation processes, heavy rains, and dense vegetation as some of the challenges confronting the operation.
The proposed expressway is expected to pass through communities including Ablekuma, Adeiso, Asamankese, Akyem Oda, Ofoase Ayirebi, Asante Achiase and Sawua.
The government has described the Accra–Kumasi Expressway as a flagship national infrastructure project intended to reduce travel time, ease congestion on the existing highway and boost economic activity between the southern and middle belts.
GNA
Edited by Kenneth Sackey
Reporter: Christiana Afua Nyarko
Email: [email protected]