ROADS IN 3 REGIONS AWARDED FOR UPGRADING (PAGE 19, DEC 4, 2010)

ONE hundred and fifty three kilometres of feeder roads in the Northern, Upper East and Upper West regions have been awarded on contract for upgrading to open up food production areas in those regions to market centres.
An additional 447 kilometres are expected to be upgraded in the three northern regions to facilitate the transportation of goods and services in farming communities.
The project is being undertaken by the Northern Rural Growth Programme (NRGP) and jointly funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the Government of Ghana at a cost of $104 million.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic, the Co-ordinator of the NRGP, Mr Roy Ayariga, noted that the 153-kilometre feeder road projects were awarded on contract last month.
He said the roads were the first batch of roads to be rehabilitated by the NRGP, noting that a further 447 kilometres of feeder roads were to be upgraded.
“We have already recruited consultants to do the designing of the rest of the roads, after which they will also be awarded on contract,” he indicated.
To avoid the duplication of projects, Mr Ayariga said the NRGP was working with the Feeder Roads Department and the district assemblies to earmark roads for upgrading.
“We do not want a situation where we earmark a road for upgrading when that same road has already been awarded on contract by a different entity,” he stated.
The co-ordinator said aside from upgrading those roads, the NRGP was engaging consultants to design trunk roads, bridges, warehouses and small dams for irrigation.
“We have adopted a multi-faceted approach towards transforming agriculture in the three regions. While increasing production, we also facilitate trading and value-addition,” he stated.
Roads in the three northern regions have been in very poor condition for a long time and this has hindered the movement of people and goods, particularly agricultural produce.
In the Northern Region, for instance, as of the end of 2009 only 31 per cent of roads were considered good. Forty-seven per cent were considered fair and the rest rated poor.