Daffiame-Bussie-Issa MP appeals for urgent reconstruction of Wa-Bole-Techiman Road
Daffiame-Bussie-Issa MP appeals for urgent reconstruction of Wa-Bole-Techiman Road
Member of Parliament (MP) for Daffiame-Bussie-Issa Constituency in the Upper West region, Dr. Sebastian N. Sandaare has made a passionate appeal to President John Dramani Mahama the Minster responsible for Roads and Highways to as a matter of urgency cause the immediate rehabilitation/reconstruction of the Wa-Bole-Techiman Road.
According to him, Wa-Bole-Techiman Road, which is an N12 trans-ECOWAS road that links the Upper West and Savannah Regions to the Southern part of Ghana and neighboring Burkina Faso, is in a very deplorable state.
The Daffiame-Bussie-Issa lawmaker explained that due to the deplorable state of the road, social and economic benefits of a good road network are lost on the people.
Dr. Sandaare made the appeal on the floor of Parliament on Friday, March 14, 2025, when he made a statement in an attempt to bring to attention the state of the Wa-Bole-Techiman Road and its implications for commuters, particularly the good people of the Upper West and Savana regions.
“Mr. Speaker, the importance of a good road network to the economic growth of these regions and the country at large cannot be overemphasized. Particularly, Mr. Speaker, for regions that do not have alternative means of transportation, road transportation is a critical artery to their economies, enabling access to markets, boosting tourism, creating access to jobs and educational opportunities, as well as enabling access to healthcare and other essential services.
Ultimately, a good road network provides the opportunity to stimulate economic growth and social progress in these regions and the country at large.
Mr Speaker, one such important road network with enormous economic and social benefit to the people in these two regions and Ghana at large is the Wa-Bole-Techiman Road.
Mr Speaker it is sad to state that, the road is very deplorable beyond description to the state that the social and economic benefits of a good road network are lost on the people.
The deplorable condition of the road continues to pose severe challenges and hardships to commuters and communities along it,” he retorted.
Dr. Sandaare, explained further that the deplorable state of the Wa-Bole-Techiman Road is characterised by large and deep potholes, weak culverts and completely dusty as all the coal is removed. Adding the the implications are innumerable.
He pointed out that the safety and security of commuters are greatly compromised as they are subjects of frequent and indiscriminate armed robbery attacks, and in some unfortunate situation resulting in deaths.
“Mr. Speaker, most worrying is the spate of accidents solely attributable to the bad road network. Common occurrences include bursting of vehicle tyres and vehicle collisions in drivers’ attempts to dodge potholes, amongst others.
Mr. Speaker, the cumulative effect is that the road is unsafe in all regards and extremely tortuous long. A journey which will naturally take less than 12 hours (Accra-Wa) takes an average of 18hours or more now.
Worse is that, transport owners including the State Transport Company have started avoiding and even abandoning the road to the detriment of communities around that stretch.
Mr. Speaker, even though the importance of keeping this road in good shape is not lost on government, the neglect of the road for close to a decade without maintenance has left the entire road network in its present deplorable state.
Even though Chiefs, commuters, drivers and Members of Parliament from the two regions from both side of the political divide have made several appeals to past governments to fix road, the situation has not changed as the condition of the road continues to deteriorate by each passing day.
And although the immediate past regime announced the award of a portion of the road to a contractor before it exited power, the contractor is yet to commence work on site. Also, the bad road network has a significant toll on the health of commuters and settlers.
The long sitting hours pose severe health challenges to the passengers. Respiratory diseases are equally rising amongst communities along the road due to the daily inhalation of dust. Patient transport is equally negatively impacted with reports of deterioration of medical conditions of patients who are referred to the Upper West Regional Hospital.
Mr. Speaker, the road, if not urgently attended to, will continue to slow down economic and social activities. Cost of transport, prices of goods and services, access to markets, tourism and investments drive will further take a nose dive,” portions of his statement read.
