The Ministry has said the practice has resulted in devaluing road infrastructure, distracting and misinforming drivers, as well as, reducing the beauty of the environment.

In a statement, the Ministry lamented that billboards are usually installed in the wrong locations such as intersections with notices post on road signs. 

“This practice is unacceptable and contravenes provisions of the Ghana Standard Authority “Advertisement – Specification for outdoor of signs “(GS 847-2019 in section 5, section11and 15 Act and act 15 of 540 and section 188 of LI 2180,” the statement read in parts.

The statement has therefore urged the Advertisers Association of Ghana to ensure its code of conduct regarding the installation of outdoor advertisement structures.

It has further encouraged all assemblies to consult road agencies at the regional level before issuing permits for advertisers.

The Ministry also called on the Ghana Police Service to ensure enforcement of LI 2180 to maintain our road.

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The Minister of Roads and Highways, Kwasi Amoako-Attah, has said his ministry is replete with “thieves” and “corrupt” people.

These people, according to him, are aiding and abetting haulage truck drivers who enter Ghana’s borders with loads that weigh way more than the standard requirement.

He complained that these truckers from neighbouring countries manage to bribe their way through with their excessively heavy loads and park along the ears of the highways, thus, destroying Ghana’s road infrastructure.

A very angry Amoako-Attah told journalists that while the truckers are afraid to overload their vehicles when entering their own countries, they freely flout Ghana’s laws with impunity through the connivance of port, customs, and police personnel.

Mr Amoako-Attah wondered how the truckers find their way into the country with excess loads when there are axle load centres dotted around the Tema Port and along the highway.

“There are people in my own ministry who are involved in this kind of thing. We have a number of axle load centres from here to Paga, but they pass through,” the Minister lamented. 

He said those who connive with the truckers do so in exchange for bribes but philosophised that no matter how much money they make through such unethical conduct, they would, like all human beings, die and leave everything behind.

“There are a lot of corrupt people, there are a lot of thieves in my own ministry. You sack them, employ new ones and when they come the new ones are even worse than those that you sacked”, the minister said.

Mr Amoako-Attah also expressed disappointment in the police for looking on while the long haul truckers flout Ghana’s traffic laws with impunity.

He said whether the truckers have to pay or not for the excess load, “somebody should be apprehending them first”. 

“Who is apprehending them?” he asked.

“And if they are driving, whether in the day or at night, you and I will not be there. You’ll be working. I’ll be working. Those whose duty it is to check them and apprehend them are disappointing this nation,” he pointed out.

“I expect that, surprisingly, the police should come in and arrest all the drivers”, he exclaimed.

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In the meantime, temporary bridges and pathways are to be constructed as a matter of urgency on sections of roads in the Mamprugu area washed away by floods.

The move is to serve as a stop-gap measure to open traffic for pedestrians.

Parts of the West Mamprusi and East Mamprusi Municipalities were submerged in water following a downpour on Wednesday.

Walewale, the West Mamprusi Municipal capital has been cut off from Nalerigu, the regional capital as a bridge and a dam at Tinguri were swept away by the floods.

This has made the main road linking the two towns inaccessible.

The situation has rendered some residents homeless, while passengers travelling from Walewale to Nalerigu and adjoining towns have also been left stranded.

The Deputy Minister of Roads and Highways, Stephen Jalulah, on Thursday visited the area and said the immediate but temporary solution to fix the problem would see the construction of temporary walkways and diversionary pathways.

He was accompanied by the North East Regional Minister, Yidana Zakaria, Municipal Chief Executive for West Mamprusi, Issahaku Aremeyaw, NDC Member of Parliament for Nalerigu/Gambaga, Issifu Seidu Baba and some technical staff from the ministry and road sector agencies.

The delegation toured communities such as Gaagbini, Tinguri, Nalerigu and Gbuntiri which were severely hit by the disaster.

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