A youth group calling itself the Nabdam Youth Group, in the Nabdam District of the Upper East Region, has petitioned government, through the Upper East Regional Minister, Mr Donatus Atanga Akamugri, to rehabilitate what it describes as the “lamentable” 17-kilometre Zanlerigu–Damolgo–Pelungu–Sakoti road.
The group expressed disgust at the deplorable state of the road, describing it as life-threatening and blaming it for holding back the area’s economic development for years.
Presenting the petition to the Regional Minister through the District Chief Executive (DCE) for the area, Mr Francis Yenwona Tobig, on Tuesday, the group’s spokesperson, Mr Albert Dok Dong, said the road became almost impassable during the rainy season, posing a serious danger to motorists and other road users.
He said the situation had left farmers stranded, making it difficult for them to transport their produce to the Bolgatanga Central Market, the Pelungu Market and the Kongo Market. According to him, the poor state of the road had led not only to post-harvest losses, but also to severe hardship for residents whose livelihoods depended on agriculture.
“The poor road network has disrupted education and slowed economic activities, as traders and schoolchildren are unable to use the road whenever heavy rains set in,” Mr Dong said.
He added “The situation has also dealt a heavy blow to the social and economic lives of community members, as the area has been cut off from essential social services, government programmes and access to other markets in the region.”
Mr Dong said the road had remained in its current “sorry state” because successive governments had turned a deaf ear to repeated appeals from the community for its rehabilitation.
He therefore called on the government to, as a matter of urgency, construct the 17-kilometre Zanlerigu–Damolgo–Pelungu–Sakoti road and rehabilitate other feeder roads in the area, particularly the Pelungu–Yakoti road, with culverts provided where necessary. He also appealed to the National Democratic Congress-led government to prioritise the road’s construction to end the hardship faced by road users.
“We demand the allocation of a dedicated budget for the construction of the Zoliba community road under the District Assemblies Common Fund or any other applicable government infrastructure programme.”
“We also call for the Ghana Highway Authority or the Department of Feeder Roads to conduct an immediate technical assessment of the roads with a view to undertaking reconstruction or, at the very least, providing temporary maintenance to ease the hardship being endured by community members pending full-scale construction,” Mr Dong said.
The group pledged its support for the project, offering to provide labour and assist with site clearance should a contractor be mobilised to site, and expressed optimism that transforming the road network would contribute significantly to the district’s overall development.
For his part, the DCE assured the petitioners that their concerns would be addressed.
He said he and the Member of Parliament for Nabdam, Dr Mark Kurt Nawaane, had made strenuous efforts to secure government support for the road’s rehabilitation, and urged the aggrieved youth not to lose hope, assuring them that efforts were underway to address the situation head-on.
FROM FRANCIS DABRE DABANG, NANGODI
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