The Member of Parliament for Sehwi Akontombra, Hon. Pious Kwame Nkuah, has expressed strong dissatisfaction with the statistics provided by the Minister for Roads and Highways, Hon. Governs Kwame Agbodza, regarding road construction projects in his constituency.
Responding to a parliamentary question filed by Hon. Nkuah, the Minister outlined what he described as progress on several road projects. However, in an interview with Parliamentnews360.com, Hon. Nkuah said the Minister’s account does not reflect the situation on the ground.
“Road construction in the Akontombra Constituency is bad—very bad,” he stressed. “I would say that about 80 to 90 percent of our roads are in a deplorable state. Unfortunately, many of these roads were said to have been awarded to contractors—some as far back as 2019, others in 2020, 2021, and 2022. But in reality, no contractor has spent more than three weeks on any of the roads. They arrive, spend two to three weeks, and then disappear.”
Hon. Nkuah questioned the accuracy of the progress figures presented by the Minister, which included project completion rates of 17% and 32% for some roads. “I challenge those figures. As the MP who lives in the constituency and knows every corner of it, I find those numbers hard to believe. Some of the roads cited don’t even deserve those percentages.”
He indicated plans to consult with regional and district engineers of the Highways and Feeder Roads Departments to verify the data submitted to the Minister. “We will go back, do some analysis, and I will return to the Floor to seek further clarification,” he said.
The MP also raised concerns about the social impact of the stalled projects. “The saddest part is that many of these roads lead to farmlands and other economic areas. During the so-called construction periods, some properties were destroyed, yet no compensation was paid.”
Despite his misgivings, Hon. Nkuah acknowledged the complexity of the Minister’s role. “It’s a tedious job. You rely on primary data, process it, and sometimes get conflicting outcomes. I appreciate the effort, but I still have serious challenges with the report.”
He concluded by reaffirming his commitment to ensuring that accurate information about road development in Akontombra is brought to light.
Source: Clement Akoloh||parliamentnews360.com
