President John Mahama will in the coming weeks break the ground for construction to begin on the Accra-Kumasi Expressway project to enhance transportation between two major cities.
This comes after the Ghana Armed Forces announced the full clearing of the 175.6 kilometre stretch of road within 19 weeks of active operations through the thick forest and farms.
Although residents and affected farmers are impressed with the extent of the path clearing, they want the project expedited as they seek early compensation for their lost properties.
The Kumasi-Accra Expressway project is speedily progressing as the Ghana Armed Forces clears the right of way for the commercial route. But this is coming at a cost to communities along the stretch.
For over three decades, Iddrisu has lived in this mud house with his wife and children. It is an abode that carries so many memories.
From the birth of his first child to resting from a hard day’s work on his farm, the thatched house holds many nostalgic moments.
But in a few days, Iddrisu and his family will no longer call this place home.
“I will leave here. I built this mud house in 1992. But now I’d need cement and other building materials to build a modern house which requires a lot of cash,” he said.
Their home has been earmarked for demolition to pave way for the construction of the Accra-Kumasi Expressway. Their two-bedroom thatched house and kitchen sit right in the middle of the road project.
Iddrisu added: “My landlord has given me a land to build. But the challenge is money”.
Already, his 14-acre cocoa farm has been cleared. But compensation, he says, is yet to come.
“We have no other job. Cocoa farming is what we do. If it gets destroyed and we don’t get anything then we have lost our livelihoods.
Also the original land measurement has been breached. They cleared portions that weren’t previously agreed to,” he noted.
He lamented that “we don’t know when they will compensate us.”
Iddrisu is one of the twenty farmers in the Amangoase community and the hundreds of others along the stretch of road that have been affected by the project.
“They told us areas with no farms will not receive any compensation, but those with farms will be compensated. I am really worried if they don’t pay them,” Salifu Sakar, Unit Committee Secretary for the community, said.
The Accra-Kumasi Expressway is the government’s largest road infrastructure project under the Big Push Agenda.
The six-lane road project, when completed, will stretch approximately 175.6 kilometre from the national capital to the country’s middle belt, providing an alternatively faster commute.
In the last 5 months, the officers from the Ghana Armed Forces have worked around the clock to clear the right of way for the road construction.
The soldiers braved the weather, clearing large tracts of forest cover, farmland, and communities for the project.
The Minister of Finance has disclosed plans are underway to fully secure funds locally by the end of the year to finance this massive road project.
For communities along this stretch, although they are paying the price, they are positive the project would inure to their benefit.
From economic gains to easy and comfortable road access, the residents are upbeat about the prospects of the road project.
“A lot of the communities along the road will benefit. But government should expedite the construction,” Iddrisu said.
Anaaba, a resident, also noted that “This will be the biggest achievement for the President if it is completed. He should get it done before his term comes to an end.”
JoyNews checks on the road reveal a full clearance of the 176 kilometre path, but the soldiers have been tasked to further clear additional kilometers to inch closer to Greater Kumasi.
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