In 2007, Sunyani, the capital city of the then Bono - Ahafo and now Bono region was adjuged as the cleanest city in Ghana. This was great and good news for the citizens and the indigens of the region, the floodgate of many investors and companies were opened and Sunyani has seen expansion in private sector development than never before.
Decades down the line, Sunyani is being described as the hub of DUST in Ghana due to its poor road network. Notable among these poor roads are the New Dorma - Yawhima road which has lingered for the past 12 years plus under successive governments. At least 45 people have lost their lives due to the bad nature of this road. This is the only road the links Sunyani to Wenchi, Techiman, Nkoranza, Kintampo, Tamale, Wa, etc. What acceptable reason can be given to the neglect of this road for years without any feedback from duty bearers? All houses along this stretch has been devoted to dust and most abandoned by their owners because of the influx of dust. All the foods sold along these roads are all bathed with dust, pharmacy and chemical shops, clinics and health facilities along this roads have all had their portion of the dust especially during the harmattan season. People are just eating dust on daily basis, accessing health care in dust, buying food in dust, trading in dust. God and posterity shall not forgive leaders who have failed to construct these roads. Churches and mosques along this road have also had their fair share of the dust. When you see anyone in Sunyani township in this 21st century with dust all over the clothings, chances are 100% that he/ she is coming from New Dorma - Kotokrom road. A lot of students live on this stretch, business owners, government workers, farmers and traders. Waiting for car for not less than 30 minutes to an hour in this era of digitalization is a norm for the people of Kotokrom and Yawhima. This is counter productive and counter development against all the speeches of development. Only God knows how many sods have been cut on these roads, how many successive presidents have ploughed these roads for their campaigns. Why do you take tax from citizens and not give them basic needs such as roads?
This is primitive and bad precedent to say the least. Ghana is portrayed as the beacon of development across Africa and the world, but it is time to pay attention to your home and fix the basic problems in this country.
Many streets lights are not working in Sunyani, fix them.
There is a positive correlation between transport and economic growth. How can you improve upon the economic status of your people if there is no good roads to enable traders to transport their goods and services? We need to get our economic indicators right. Time wasting has a bearing on the economy. Interview for yourself the citizens, students and hear the plight and challenge they go through on daily basis in order to get to Sunyani township. A journey that should take not more than 10 minutes now takes on the average 30 minutes and sometimes to an hour because no driver wants to go there, the roads are bad.
If only we have leaders in this town and this areas, please rise up and make sure these problems are addressed.
In the interim, can the leaders entrusted with our tax must make a plan for the road to be watered continuously at least two times in a day. Once in month, you will see water tanker usually at the police check point and few metres away from the the check point, go back into habination and come at any time they seem fit, no one questions anyone, this can not be right.
Be citizens and not spectators.
Where is the MCE, Regional Minister, Assembly member( s), Sunyani is sinking too low and you can not be proud of being a leader in a city of dust, let it not be that Sunyani sank low in development under your watch. You are the eyes of the government in the region, you need to read the pulse and the temperature of the people. Just find time and plough the road and see for yourselves the struggle citizens go through on daily basis.
Can you imagine the money that are lost to washing of cars; after going on that stretch for once every driver have to send their car to the washing bay, time is wasted, money is wasted. We can not continue to wallow in this situation. Already the economic situations of the citizens are enough, at least if you can not lessen it, do not add to the problem.
The regional hospital also gets its share of the dust on daily basis. How can hospital be operating in dust ? Patients and pedestrians crossing over to the hospital have to struggle to cross, no road markings, no zebra crossing, nursing training junction too, students have to struggle to cross because not all drivers will slow down for pedestrians to cross, are we surprised at accidents and deaths?
If this road menace is not addressed, apart from God's protection, we should expect more accidents possible deaths; am not a prophet of doom but the system to protect lives is non- existent.
We live in a region where citizens have to pray virtually for everything including but not limited to good roads, good health care in the midst of dust and a lot of carelessness and recklessness on our roads.
As a pastor, I can not just understand why these things keeps happening, we have prayed enough and the time to demand clear cut policies and strategic plans that drives development is now, we must leave the place of prayer to the place of action and good governance that respects and values the fundamental rights of the citizens. These are fundamental rights and as signatures of the sustainable development goals, it is only fair to remind our president as the co - chair of the SDGs to be guided by it's framework and timeline, scale out equal development and leave no region behind.
To be continued....
Berlin Top Road next...
Rev.Jefferson Kwasi Agbotro
MSC OD
DEVELOPMENT CONSULTANT
Founder & Bishop, WATCHERS' Chapel International
FOUNDER & CEO, FOHA