Mankranso-Wiowso-Tepa road for rehabilitation
Ghana, Georgia to promote tourism - Gizo
Mankranso-Wiowso-Tepa road for rehabilitation
Accra (Greater Accra) 27 Oct. '99
The rehabilitation of the Mankranso-Wiowso-Tepa trunk road is among roads to be studied and financed under a German Development Bank (KfW) component of the Highway Sector Investment Project of the Ministry of Roads and Transport, for probable implementation within the next three years.
Mr. Edward Salia, the sector Minister, told Parliament on Tuesday that the Department of Feeder Roads is improving the 36-kilometre Tepa-Yamfo-Tanoso road, in three phases.
Mr. Salia was replying to a question as to whether there are plans by the Ministry of Roads and Transport to re-gravel and tar the Mankranso-Wiowso-Tepa-Yamfo-Tanoso road to serve as an alternative road to the congested Kumasi-Sunyani road, during "Question Time".
He said the first phase of the improvement of the Tepa-Yamfo-Tanoso road, covering 18 kilometres, was completed last year while the 10-kilometre second phase "is in progress".
The last phase, covering eight kilometres, is programmed for award in the "very near future", the Minister added.
On when the asphalting of the Berekum-Dormaa Ahenkro-Gonokrom road will be completed, Mr. Salia told the questioner that work is on- going on the Berekum-Dormaa Ahenkro section of the road.
The contractor has indicated that the project could be completed by the end of 2000, he said adding that the Dormaa Ahenkro-Gonokrom road has not yet been awarded but it would be considered in a future programme.
The Minister explained that "this is to enable the Ministry to carry out the necessary work including designs and procurement".
Mr. Salia said the Ministry is trying to de-emphasise the use of asphaltic surfacing, which is more expensive, to equally good road surfacing to enable more roads to be provided.
Asked when the on-going rehabilitation and tarring of Dormaa Ahenkro town roads would be completed, the Minister said that arrangements are being made to provide adequate funds to the contractor to complete the project "as soon as possible".
On the reconstruction of the Adansi Asokwa-Ofoase-Akim Oda road, which is in a deplorable state, Mr. Salia said the project has been included in the list of roads to be studied under the KfW component of the Highway Sector Investment Project for "probable implementation within the next three years".
Asked what measures to ensure that the road was reasonably maintained to be motorable until the next three years, the Minister said the normal routine maintenance of the road "will continue to facilitate vehicular movement".
Mr. Salia said the problem of rectifying the stretch of the Accra-Kumasi highway in front of the Goil Filling Station at Odumasi, in Asante Akyem, "will be addressed during the rehabilitation of the Anyinam-Kumasi road" and that it was expected to start after 2000.
Asked why there is a delay in the completion of the roads in the Tamale township, the Minister replied that the delay had arisen due to the size and nature of the contract.
He explained that the project, like seven others, had to be reviewed to enhance efficiency for speedier completion.
"We inspected the roads this month and I can confirm that good progress is being made towards completing the works," he said.
The Minister stressed that the review was to ensure that the project was sufficiently funded to enable the contractor to undertake the work without any hindrance from financial constraints.
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Ghana, Georgia to promote tourism - Gizo
Accra (Greater Accra), 27th October 99
Mr. Mike Gizo, Minister of Tourism, on Tuesday told Parliament that the Ministry and the Georgia Department of Industry, Trade and Tourism, in the United States, are to promote cultural and historical heritage tourism.
Mr. Gizo explained that the endeavour follows from a memorandum of understanding signed between the Ministry and the Georgian Department in Accra in May, this year, saying that the tourism promotion will be among Ghana, Georgia and other southern states in the U.S. as well as the Caribbean.
The Minister was in the House to answer MPs' queries during "Question Time".
In an answer to a question on steps being taken by the Ministry to ensure the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding, Mr. Gizo said Ghana Airways has already taken the initiative for a joint promotion of traffic from the Caribbean through Atlanta, Georgia, to Ghana, using the national carrier and the U.S. Delta Airlines.
The Ghana Tourist Board (GTB), he said, is also preparing to attend an international fair in Atlanta at the invitation of the State of Georgia.
Mr. Gizo expressed the hope that the visit would not only enable the GTB to market the tourism potential of the country, it would also afford the Board the chance to expose investment opportunities in Ghana for prospective investors.
Mr. Gizo told the House that even though the Caribbean is not yet a major tourist market for Ghana, the region has great potential to be one in view of its predominantly African heritage.
He said the Ministry will, therefore, exploit the opportunities offered by the terms of the memorandum to develop that market.
On when the Nchiraa Waterfall in the Brong Ahafo Region would be developed into a tourist attraction, Mr. Gizo said the Ministry and the GTB, the implementing agency, are liaising with the Wenchi District Assembly and the Nchiraa Village Committee to formulate a strategy for the development of the facility.
He, however, expressed concern that information indicates that the catchment area of River Kyiridi, which is the source of the Nchiraa Waterfall, is threatened by farming activities, resulting in deforestation and silting of the river.
"Mr Speaker, recognising the need for us to conserve the country's natural resources, especially our water bodies, I wish to take this opportunity to make a passionate appeal to all district assemblies and community development committees to help safeguard and protect such resources", he said.
The Minister told the House that under the Brong Ahafo Regional Tourism Development Plan (1996-2010), the Nchiraa Waterfall has been been identified as a primary tourist attraction.
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