The Vice President, Dr Alhaji Mahamudu Bawumia, has reiterated the government’s commitment to ensuring the successful implementation of the Abidjan-Lagos Corridor Highway Project.
According to him the project was on the priority list of the government and it was keenly looking forward to the commencement of the project.
The Vice President said this in a speech read on his behalf by the Senior Minister and Presidential Advisor, Mr Yaw Osafo Maafo, at the 19th Steering Committee Meeting of Experts on the Abidjan – Lagos Corridor Highway Project on Friday in Accra.
The three-day event attracted the Works, Roads and Highways Ministers of the five member countries and other development partners including the African Development Bank, the European Union and the Japanese International Development Corporation.
Issues discussed included the feasibility and detailed designed studies, the public private partnership and transitionary, trade and transport facilitation, special development initiative advisory, financial audit and road safety audit and the establishment of the Abidjan – Lagos Corridor Management Authority (ALCOMA).
The 1,028 kilometre six-lane dual highway is key in realising the full benefits of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and would also include the integration of the rail infrastructure and industrial zones along the corridor to help the sub-region achieve the full potential of the highway project.
Dr Bawumia stated that the alignment of the road in Ghana and the member countries would boost economic activity while the proposal to bypass Accra and construct a 3km tunnel through the Akwapim Hills would avoid the extensive displacement of affected communities.
The Vice President commended the Chair of the Steering Committee, Babatunde Fashola of Nigeria and the experts for their commitment and charged the team to unite and see to the realisation of the project.
The government, he explained placed high premium on the development of roads in the country adding that it was for these reasons that the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, had invested a lot in road construction and the results were visible throughout the country.
Dr Bawumia commended the Minister for Roads and Highways, Kwasi Amoako-Attah, under whose watch the road infrastructure in Ghana had seen such a tremendous uplift.
“His dedication to duty and cooperation with every stakeholder in the road industry has resulted in the improvement of our road condition during this period, a total of 11,975km of roads have been completed,” he added.
Mr Amoako-Atta in his remarks said the detailed engineering studies were almost completed and that what was left was the long-awaited implementation phase.
He urged the committee to fast track concerns about the need to pay adequate compensation to project affected persons on time to avoid any delay to the project.
BY LAWRENCE VOMAFA-AKPALU