President Akufo-Addo cuts sod to commission the interchange
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has commissioned the Tamale Interchange, the fourth interchange commissioned by Government since 2017.
The commissioning ceremony took place yesterday in Tamale, and was observed by hundreds of thousands of Ghanaians yearning for development in a region underserved by infrastructure, notwithstanding its prominence as an economic hub in the sub-region.
It was a sequel to the launch three years ago in Tamale of Ghana-SinoHydro Master Project Support Agreement (MPSA) and sod-cutting for the construction of the first interchange in the northern sector of the country.
“I am delighted to be back again, this time, on my birthday, to commission the Tamale Interchange, which has been completed three months ahead of schedule and on budget, in the midst of a global pandemic which has brought considerable disruption to every phase of national life,” the President said.
According to him, it is the fourth interchange completed since he came into office, following the completion of the Tema Motorway Phase 1 Interchange, Obetsebi Lamptey Phase1 Interchange and the 4-tier Pokuase Interchange.
Sinohydro project
President Akufo-Addo told the gathering, including Vice-President Mahamudu Bawumia and Ya-Naa Mahama Abukari II, that under the Sinohydro project, Government signed a Master Project Support Agreement (MPSA) with Sinohydro for the delivery of US$2 billion worth of priority infrastructure projects across the country, in exchange for the delivery of Ghanaian manufactured aluminium products to Sinohydro.
“This has led, inter alia, to the establishment of the Ghana Integrated Aluminium Development Corporation (GIADEC), a statutory public corporation, to oversee the development of the exploitation of the full value chain of our bauxite resources, so we can have a vibrant aluminium industry in Ghana, and ensure that we live up to our end of the barter transaction. This innovative arrangement, the first of its kind on the continent, is not going to add to our country’s debt stock,” the President said.
He described the interchange as a good example of the excellent relations that the Republic of Ghana enjoys with the People’s Republic of China.
“May these relations long endure, and I thank the President of the People’s Republic of China, His Excellency Xi Jinping, for his birthday wishes. I would respectfully ask the Chinese Ambassador to inform the President that I have received his message with happiness,” he added.
Other projects
President Akufo-Addo disclosed that seven interchanges, including Obetsebi Lamptey Interchange Phase2, Takoradi PTC Roundabout Interchange, Nungua Interchange -Part of the La Beach Road widening Project-Lot 2, Adjiriganor Overpass, Flower Pot Interchange, Tema Motorway Interchange Phase 2 and Suame Interchange in Kumasi, are either ongoing or planned to start this year.
He added that apart from the construction of the interchanges, Government had undertaken critical road projects to improve urban mobility across the country, which will reduce travel times on our highways.
“These include construction of some 1,200kms of asphalt overlay works in his first term of office and beneficiary cities include Accra, Kumasi, Tema, Cape Coast, Sekondi-Takoradi and Hohoe. In Accra, some of the areas that have benefitted include Weija-Gbawe, Dansoman, Abossey Okai, Osu, Adentan, Bubuashie, Sakumono and Mempeasem,” he listed.
As part of the critical roads project, some selected roads in Tamale, Yendi, Walewale, Gambaga, Nalerigu and Damongo have been asphalted, with the Ministry of Roads and Highways programmed to complete 1,500 kms of asphalt overlay works between 2021 and 2024.
Rehabilitation plans
Other projects include the rehabilitation of the 106 kilometre Tamale to Yendi Road by M/S China Water and Electric; the rehabilitation of the 62km Yendi to Zabzugu Road by China Jianxhi Ltd; and the rehabilitation of 670kms of feeder roads in the Upper West Region.
The remaining are the reconstruction of the Tamale to Walewale Road Phase 1, which will improve the section between Savelugu and Walewale with work commencing in the second quarter of this year.
The President said the section between the Tamale and Savelugu road would be widened into a dual carriageway. He pledged that commencement of the dualisation of the Sekondi/Adiembra Roads in Sekondi-Takoradi would be effected in the second quarter of 2022, together with rehabilitation of Agona Junction-Tarkwa Highway and the Assin Foso-Assin Praso Highway.
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