Chief Representative of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Ghana, Yasumichi Araki, has said the organisation’s support, in the form of a grant for construction of the Tema motorway interchange, will help boost the local and regional economies of West Africa.
“I believe this high-quality road infrastructure will improve the transportation sector in Ghana, and bring a better future for all Ghanaians and people in this region with the enhancement of logistics for the regional economy,” he said at the interchange’s official opening in Tema.
He added that JICA has supported Ghana with utilising Japanese high-technological capability to provide high quality infrastructure under the Tokyo International Conference on African Development, TICAD, process.
The project is a part of implementing the West Africa Growth Ring Corridors (WAGRIC) master-plan, which emphasises sub-regional economic integration with boosting logistics networks for regional corridors, including the Abidjan-Lagos corridor and other main international corridors.
The project is expected to reduce traffic congestion and travel time at the roundabout from 20 minutes to 5 minutes. Also, it will improve logistics from/to Tema Port and boost trade between Ghana and neighbouring countries. This enhancement of logistics for the regional economy will enable lives of people not only in Ghana but also in this region, to be more prosperous.
We wish to draw the attention of authorities to the culture of maintenance. Road maintenance is essential in order to preserve the road in its originally constructed condition, protect adjacent resources and user safety, and provide efficient, convenient travel along the route.
Unfortunately, maintenance is often neglected or improperly performed – resulting in rapid deterioration of the road and eventual failure from both climatic and vehicle-use impacts. It follows that it is impossible to build and use a road that requires no maintenance.
In order to plan for road maintenance needs, it is important to keep a complete set of ‘as built’ plans and records from all maintenance operations and observations.
We should not allow this one, too, to become like the Tema motorway that has become a death-trap
