Call center, app to address public concerns road issues in offing

goldcoastnewsline@gmail.com

July 11, 2024
0 Comments

The Minister of Roads and Highways, Francis Asenso-Boakye, has announced that the Ministry will soon set up a maintenance call centre and mobile app to swiftly address public concerns about road defects.

The maintenance app would enable citizens to report potholes and other road issues by submitting photos and location information in real-time.

He announced this during the launch of the Ghana Highway Authority’s 50th-anniversary celebrations in Accra. It was under the theme “Ghana Highway Authority at 50 – Development and Maintenance of Quality Highways: Retrospect and Prospect.”

The Minister emphasised the need for improved road maintenance in the country. He indicated a persistent challenge facing the country: while substantial investments have been made in road development, maintenance efforts have not kept pace.

He noted that successive governments had made significant investments in road development without a corresponding investment in road maintenance.

He stated that to address this challenge, the Ministry had planned to allocate “60% of its annual maintenance budget to support the call centre and app initiative”.

Mr Asenso-Boakye expressed confidence that “prioritising maintenance, particularly in critical areas like pothole patching and spot improvements, would help address the country’s poor road maintenance culture.”

For her part, Mrs Akosua Frema Osei-Opare, the Chief of Staff, commended the Ghana Highway Authority for its significant contributions to the country’s economic growth and development.

“The Authority has enabled the seamless flow of goods and services across the nation, connecting rural and urban areas and ensuring equal access to opportunities for all citizens, regardless of location,” she noted.

She lauded the hard work and dedication of the Authority’s staff over the past five decades.

She particularly highlighted the notable contributions of distinguished individuals such as Ing. Kwesi Abbey Sam, Ing. H.O.A Quaynor, Ing. B.L.T. Sakibu, and the pioneering female engineer, Ing. Sylvia Asare.

goldcoastnewsline@gmail.com

News Prices of Goods and Services

goldcoastnewsline@gmail.com
December 3, 2024
0 Comments
3 minutes Read

President commissions phase II of the Tema Motorway Interchange

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Monday commissioned the Tema Motorway Roundabout Phase II project, a major intersection connecting the capital city of Accra to the industrial city of Tema.

The facility, coming on the back of the recent inauguration of the Flowerpot and Obetsebi-Lamptey Interchanges, is designed to ease traffic congestion at the five-legged Tema intersection.

It is one of the critical components of the rehabilitation and expansion of the 19.5-kilometer stretch encompassing the transformation of the Motorway into a modern 10-lane divided highway.

“Road infrastructure is the backbone of the nation’s progress,” the President said, noting that giving Ghana’s busiest Motorway a facelift was fundamental to accelerated socio-economic advancement.

The Accra-Tema Motorway has served as a vital artery for the nation’s development for nearly six decades, linking the industrial city to the other parts of the country and West African sub-Region.

The Tema Motorway Roundabout Phase II project commenced in July 2022, aiming to enhance urban mobility, logistics and trade integration in the Greater Accra Region, as well as the West African economic bloc, ECOWAS.

Following a preparatory survey by the Japan International Cooperation Agency, JICA, the Phase One converted the roundabout into a two-tier intersection and was completed ahead of schedule in June 2020.

The second phase involved the construction of a third-tier flyover to alleviate the traffic burden at the intersection.

The entire Motorway rehabilitation project’s scope includes the rehabilitation of three critical sections: the Accra-Tema Motorway, the George Walker Bush Highway and the Nsawam Road.

The construction of both phase One and Phase II were funded by a Japanese grant of 91 million dollars.

President Nana Akufo-Addo indicated that the objective was to remove bottlenecks on the major highways to facilitate regional trade and economic integration.

“These projects are part of a deliberate policy to decentralise economic opportunities and ensure equitable development across the nation.

“From the Pokuase Interchange, the largest in West Africa, to the Tamale Interchange, the first of its kind in northern Ghana, we have worked tirelessly to open up our country, reduce disparities, and empower communities,” he emphasised.

The Government, the President said, had laid the foundation for a resilient economically vibrant and inclusive Ghana, touting his administration’s successes in education, healthcare, amongst others.

The World Bank, in a 2023 report, said rapid increases in population and vehicle ownership had led to unsustainable commuting times and deteriorating air quality in most developing countries.

“The impacts of highway construction are procompetitive in both output and input markets, increasing labour’s share of income by about 1.8 to 2.3 percentage points,” according to the global apex financial body.

It added that urban transportation systems played a key role in shaping the growth and development of cities.

Mr. Francis Asenso-Boakye, Minister of Roads and Highways, lauded the Japanese Government for its support in completing the project.

He assured the public that the government was committed to improving the road conditions linking the Tema Motorway Interchange, including the Tema Aflao road

News Prices of Goods and Services

goldcoastnewsline@gmail.com
November 27, 2024
0 Comments
1 minute Read

Police establish GHC20,000 informant system ahead of December polls

The National Election Security Taskforce has introduced a financial reward system to encourage the public to report potential security threats ahead of the upcoming elections.

Under the initiative, informants can share relevant information with the police or other security agencies and receive rewards ranging from GH¢1,000 to GH¢20,000.

Reports can be made via the toll-free hotline 0800-311-311.

The Inspector General of Police and head of the National Election Security Taskforce, Dr. George Akuffo Dampare, announced the initiative during a meeting with the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) on Wednesday, November 27.

Dr. Dampare emphasized that the programme aims to bolster election security by encouraging public participation in safeguarding the process.

“We are introducing the informant reward system, and the figure involved is between GH¢1,000 and GH¢20,000. You bring the information, we operationalise it, and if the results are good, we tell you how much you will be given and you tell us the means through which you will want it, and we send it to you.

“For that matter, we have introduced a toll-free number for that purpose, and anybody who will want to share information with us and that toll-free number is 0800-311-311.”

Source: citinewsroom.com