Vice President Dr. Bawumia recently commissioned the asphalted Jasikan-dodo-Pepesu road of the Ghana Eastern Road Corridor. The sod was cut for the 56.4km Jasikan-dodo-Pepesu road in November 2019 and was constructed by Sinohydro Corporation Limited at the cost of US$45,000,000.
The Jasikan-dodo-Pepesu road is a part of the National Road, N2 of the Ghana Highway Authority Road Classification System.
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Remarks on the Jasikan-dodo-Pepesu road
Dr. Bawumia remarked that the completed route has made the previously difficult access between Jasikan and Kadjebi much easier. He claimed that over the previous six years, the Oti region has undergone tremendous progress thanks to the Akufo-Addo government.
Dr. Bawumia said, “A lot of work has been done. To start, we established the Oti Region, and we did so in order to promote development.” According to Dr. Bawumia, the Road construction was done as part of an engineering and procurement contract between Ghana and China at a set price.
However, he thanked the Chinese Government for its cooperation during the Jasikan Road Project. Bawumia said, “China is an important nation for Ghana. As a result, we are happy to be working together in a respectful environment.
Bawumia remarked that Ghana’s ranking as the second most peaceful in Africa is one of the country’s qualities for investors. The government, according to him, is dedicated to completing all road projects.
According to Mr. Lu Kun, the Chinese Ambassador to Ghana, The Vice President strongly supports Ghana-China economic relations. He claimed that despite COVID-19’s negative effects, China had been actively contributing to Ghana’s development goal.
Mr. Kwasi Amoako-Atta stated that the Ministry of Roads and Highways is implementing a number of road intervention initiatives through its agencies to preserve and enhance the mix of the Oti region’s roads.
These, according to him, comprised graveling, modest reconstruction and upgrading, resealing, and other development activities.
Reported earlier
July 2019
US $81.67m approved for Eastern Corridor road project
A US $81.67m loan has been approved by the African Development Fund (ADF) to co-finance sections of the 695-km Eastern Corridor road in Ghana.
The Eastern Corridor road in Ghana project is set to link the capital Accra with the northern hinterland and across the borders to the Sahel region. The project is estimated to cost US $113.27m and covers 60 km of roads, two interchanges, and related civil works incorporating community support initiatives to help improve livelihoods in the catchment area.
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Eastern Corridor road
The road project upon completion would address the needs of an estimated 230,000 people and impact the lives of over 5.4 million inhabitants by reducing travel and transit time, supporting education and health services delivery while agricultural potentials of the rural areas would be transformed.
The stretch would be tolled and axle-weighing facilities provided to control overloading. It will additionally, create about 1,500 direct jobs in the region. Other lenders for the development include; the Opec Fund for International Development, the Ghanaian Government, and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), which was financing a connecting bridge across the Volta River. The Project is to be implemented over a five-year period from 2018 to 2022.
“With this project, we hope to turn rural areas from areas of economic challenges to economic prosperity and bread baskets,” said Marie-Laure Akin-Olugbade, Bank Director for West Africa.
AfDB’s leadership role in transport infrastructure development in the country has stimulated interest and alliances with several development partners in the country. The Eastern Corridor project aligns with the bank’s 10-year strategy and three of the High 5 priorities.
Aug 2019
Construction of US $112.39m Volta River Bridge in Ghana to Commence in 2020
The government of Ghana is set to begin construction of a new bridge over the Volta River on the Eastern Corridor road, next year. This is after the government approved a loan agreement of US $112.39m from the Japanese government for the project in December 2016.
The bridge, which will be Ghana’s second longest, will be an asphalted dual carriageway with ancillary facilities including pedestrian walkways, bicycle lanes, a mini rest stop, and toll bridges. The project seeks to complement the government’s effort to develop the Eastern Corridor road which is the shortest route connecting the Greater Accra, Volta, Northern, and Upper East regions.
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Volta River Bridge
According to the Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori Attah, the project consists of a 540m long and 17.1m wide cable-stayed bridge on a concrete pier and abutments. It will have three spans, two outer spans of 96m and a middle span of 280m.
“The bridge is expected to serve as a catalyst for regional integration and contribute to the overall growth of the economy. It is also expected open up the corridor and boosts the export of Ghana’s non-traditional crops, mainly sheatnuts, cocoa butter, and mango from the Eastern, Ashanti, Brong Ahafo, and Northern Regions to the ports of Tema and Burkina Faso,” he said.
The project will also help reduce travel time, congestion, and vehicle operating costs and directly improve the socio-economic well-being of road users. The project, with its ancillary facilities, will also help boost the economic activities and local economy of the project areas thereby reducing poverty. The new bridge will be an alternative to the Adomi Bridge and would increase transport capacity on the Eastern Corridor.
Nov 2019
Ghana to begin construction of Jasikan-dodo-Pepesu road, a part of Ghana Eastern road corridor
Ghana is set to start the construction of the Jasikan-dodo-Pepesu road following the sod-cutting ceremony performed by Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia at Jasikan. Construction of the US $45m project is expected to take 30 months.
Master Project Support Agreement (MPSA)
The project will be funded under the Master Project Support Agreement (MPSA) between the Ghanaian government and Sinohydro Corporation Limited of China; under the construction of a priority infrastructure project. The MPSA is essentially a batter facility that Ghana would repay with refined bauxite; the objective of the agreement was to use part of the fund to improve road infrastructure.
Vice President Bawumia reiterated the government’s commitment to making sure that all road projects in the country were fixed, stressing that as a government they were looking at the transaction as an opportunity to expand and improve the country’s road infrastructure.
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Road sector development
The Vice President made it clear that the Volta Region had not been left out as it was one of the regions to benefit from the critical road construction, adding every region will get its fair share of development in the road sector. Upon completion, the road will facilitate easier movement of farm produce and people from the food basket areas of the northern part of Oti and Volta regions.
The Minister of Roads and Highways, Mr. Kwasi Amoako-Attah, called on motorists to cooperate with the contractor to deliver the work on time, saying that the government would make sure that quality was not compromised, so that value for money was realized.
Mr. Zhang Nianmu, President of PowerChina West and Central Africa in his remarks, said he was confident that under their joint agreement, Ghana and China would work together to enrich their friendship to greater heights for the mutual benefit of both countries.
Feb 2020
Ghana signs US $81.67m for Ghana Eastern Road Corridor road project
The government of Ghana through the Ministry of Finance has signed a US $81.67m loan agreement with the African Development Bank (AfDB) to roll out the first phase of the Eastern Corridor road project.
The Eastern Corridor road in Ghana project is set to link the capital Accra with the northern hinterland and across the borders to the Sahel region. The project is estimated to cost US $113.27m and covers 60 km of roads, two interchanges, and related civil works incorporating community support initiatives to help improve livelihoods in the catchment area.
Phase 1 of the project covers the construction of roads and community development along; Dufor Adidome- Asikuma Junction (39.2km), Asutuare-Aveyime (23.9km), and the construction of two interchanges at Dufor Adidome and Asikuma Junction.
