Mr. Francis Asenso-Boakye, the Minister for Roads and Highways says fixing the road network in Kumasi is a top priority of the government.
He said a robust Kumasi Road network was critical to national development considering the strategic location of the city which served as a linked to several other cities and a hub of business activities.
The Minister said this when he paid a courtesy call on the Ashanti Regional Minister, Mr. Simon-Osei Mensah ahead of the inspection of road projects in the region on Monday.
His visit to the Ashanti Region formed part of a nationwide tour to inspect ongoing road projects after assuming office as the sector minister following a recent ministerial reshuffle by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
The Ashanti Region is the second to be visited by the new Minister after inspecting key road projects in the Greater Accra Region just after assuming office.
Mr. Asenso-Boakye said Ashanti Region was the biggest beneficiary of road projects under this government, adding that, more roads were earmarked for construction to ease the plight of the people.
“The Suame Interchange is a major project we are executing in Kumasi, and I believe it will significantly improve traffic and transportation in the city when completed,” he said.
According to the Minister, he had assigned his deputies to keep an eye on the project to ensure that nothing impeded the progress of work and assured the Regional Minister of his Ministry’s commitment to see the successful completion of the project.
He also spoke about efforts to improve the inner ring road of Kumasi to facilitate effective transportation system in the city and enhance productivity.
Plans are also underway to create an outer ring road so that commuters from other regions whose destinations are not Kumasi do not have to pass through the city to save them time and reduce traffic, he hinted.
Mr Osei-Mensah drew the attention of the Minister to the Tafo road which he said was a major route that needed to be fixed to address the perennial traffic on that stretch.
He corroborated the Minister’s assertion that Ashanti Region was a huge beneficiary of road projects since 2017 and urged him to prioritise some important roads in the region including roads in the Manso enclave.
He applauded the government for the release of funds to contractors, saying that most of them were back on the roads after months of abandoning site.
GNA
YI/ENA
18th March 2024
