By: Peter Agengre
The Majority Leader in Parliament and Member of Parliament for Bawku Central, Mahama Ayariga, has assured residents in Bolgatanga and Zuarungu that construction work on the Bolgatanga–Bawku–Pulmakom road will soon resume following recent disruptions.
His assurance comes on the back of growing frustration among local youth, who have staged protests over the deteriorating condition of the road, a critical transport link in the Upper East Region. Addressing residents during a sod-cutting ceremony for key development projects in Bawku, Mr. Ayariga acknowledged the concerns and emphasized government’s commitment to completing the project.
“I see our friends in Bolga organizing a number of demonstrations because at Zuarungu there’s so much dust and our brothers and sisters who live in that neighborhood are greatly inconvenienced. I want to assure them there is good news. Galvao will be coming back very soon to continue with the construction.” He announced.
He attributed the delays to the previous administration’s failure to sustain a loan agreement that was essential for the continuation of the road works. According to him, this setback affected the contractor’s ability to proceed as planned, leading to prolonged abandonment of the project.
“The reason why Galvao stopped work is that Galvao was a loan, given to the government of Ghana and so the contractor was working and drawing his payment from the loan. But when the NPP who misled this country and took us into a very serious financial crisis, Galvao could not continue the contract because the loan had been suspended by the bank that gave us the loan. But because we have governed this country so well and we have restored the finances of the country, we are in the process of restoring the loan facility so that Galvao will come back and then continue the contract.” Mr. Ayariga explained.
Mr. Ayariga revealed that the current administration under John Dramani Mahama is taking steps to restore the loan facility. This, he explained, will enable the Brazilian construction firm Queiroz Galvao to return to site and resume work.
He urged residents to remain patient, assuring them that the government recognizes the importance of the road to economic activity and mobility in the region and is prioritizing its completion.
