<<Print>>

The Board Chairman of Ghana Highways Authority (GHA), Mr. Bashiru Lomotey Tetteh Sakibu, has urged the Authority to make use of its assets to generate fund to support its operations.

At a management conference, which was held on the theme: “Providing effective leadership in the era of dwindling resources for operations”, Mr. Bashiru said the GHA had a lot of assets which could earn revenue, but are lying idle without usage.

According the GHA Board Chairman, with the expertise at its disposal the GHA had not been able to sell what it has as an organisation. He urged the GHA to make use of its lands and logistics to generate funds, adding that it should be able to pay its workers.

“We should be able to raise funds to cater for all our staff”, he said. Emphasizing on the means within which the GHA can address their challenges, the Board Chairman explained that they have to bring strategic planning on board and plan how they will be able to overcome their problems.

The Deputy CEO, Mr. Francis Hammond, who is in charge of development and administration, attributed their constraints to inadequate budgetary allocations, delayed for payments of works done and inadequate logistics for supervisory work on projects.

He indicated that in 2014, GHA supervised 65 ongoing road and bridge development projects of which 57 were trunk roads projects, 7 bridge projects and one road safety enhancement project on the Madina-Pantang Road.

According to Mr. Hammond, by December 2014, GHA had completed seven trunk road projects, totaling 301 kilometres (km) and one development bridge.

”Five more road projects were taken on while three other projects were in defects liability period”, he noted. Among them are Navrongo-Tumu, Buipe-Tamale, Asante Bekwai-Assin Praso, Kpando-Woramora,-Dambai, Nkawkaw bypass, Asankragua-Enchi, Steel bridge over river Gongonwu on Wa-Walewale road.

The head of development and administration at GHA also noted that works started on four new trunk roads last year, totaling 243 km and two combined Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) intervening Stations and GHA rest stops.

He elaborated that the said new road projects included reconstruction of the Eastern Corridor roads (Lots 5 and 6), thus Oti Damango-Napkanduri, which is 209 Kilometers, construction of Navrongo-Tumu phase 2 (25 km) and the construction of Nkawkaw-Atibie road, which is 9 km and the combined GRA intervention station and GHA rest stops, which are located at Savelungu and Sakamkrom in the Northern and Ashanti Region respectively.

On the Periodic and Routine maintenance works, Mr. Hammond indicated that a total of 176 roads maintenance projects are ongoing throughout  the country, covering periodic, routine and minor rehabilitation.

”With respect to Periodic Maintenance, GHA completed a total of 99.5km, representing 127.4% of the approved programme of 95km.  Minor rehabilitation works achieved by GHA was 740.7km being 740.7% of 100km approved for the whole country,” he revealed.

The Deputy CEO indicated that GHA spent GH¢76.26 million on routine maintenance of the total approved length of 12,500km involving pot-holes, patching, grading gravels, grass cutting, culvert de-silting and ditch cleaning.