…local engineers commend JICA’s knowledge-sharing strategy
By Ernest Bako WUBONTO
The Tema Motorway Roundabout Improvement phase two project, funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), has reached an impressive 80 percent completion milestone with an indication that the project is on track to meet its December 2024 deadline.
The Tema Motorway Roundabout project, a collaborative effort between the Ghana government and JICA, aims to enhance traffic flow and safety at one of the most critical intersections on the Abidjan-Lagos Corridor and Eastern Corridor Road.
Manager, Project Department and Overseas Business Division, JFE Engineering Corporation, Yuichi Iura, emphasised that the about-1,809 metres in length project have set a comprehensive construction roadmap which has been followed to the letter and is on course to meet the deadline.
“We have a clear understanding of the expected scope and deliverables. The challenges have been with importation of materials for the work, but everything is sorted out and we will finish according to schedule,” he said.
This vital infrastructure project is set to not only improve the transportation network in the Tema and Ashiaman Metropolis but also stimulate economic growth and development in surrounding areas.
Over the years, the intersection has recorded traffic gridlocks – delaying the clearance of goods from ports via the Abidjan-Lagos Corridor Highway running from Abidjan in Côte d’Ivoire through Accra, Lome and Cotonou to Lagos in Nigeria, as well as the Eastern Corridor which serves as a North-South trade corridor by providing shorter access from Port Tema and improving mobility between the Greater Accra, Eastern, Oti, Volta and Northern Regions, hence the necessity of this intervention.
Knowledge and Technology Transfer
The successful collaboration between local engineers and expatriates, combined with JICA’s knowledge-sharing approach, has been instrumental in driving the project’s progress.
Local engineers working on the project have expressed enthusiasm about the opportunity to contribute to the project’s success, praising JICA and JFE for ensuring effective knowledge and technology sharing.
The project boasts a significant local workforce, with approximately 60 percent of the supervision team or project managers and 90 percent of labourers being Ghanaian nationals. This not only creates jobs but also builds local capacity, ensuring a lasting impact on the community.
JFE Engineering Corporation, the Japanese project implementation partner executing the project with Ghana Highways Authority, has empowered local engineers with necessary skills, valuable expertise and best practices in the field of infrastructure development – especially the new technologies and models deployed for the project.
For instance, the Caisson Pile foundation construction model used is the first for constructing bridges and flyovers in the country – even though more efficient than the concrete blocks being used in road construction, it’s is new in our ecosystem. This has been recommended for future infrastructure development projects in Ghana.
Assistant Resident Supervisor of the project, Yaw Tenkorang Osei, mentioned that about 90 to 95 percent of the overall project scope has been a new learning experience that will further boost his career.
Senior Representative-JICA Ghana Office, Oda Ryotaro, highlighted that JICA’s approach emphasises two fields – Corridor Development and Mitigation of urbanisation issues.
“Japanese quality infrastructure, which includes economic efficiency, safety consideration on environmental and social impact and contribution to the local society and economy, has been applied in transport infrastructure for both national and international corridors. That same principle was applied to both phase one and two.
“Our project is expected to tackle urbanisation issues such as traffic-jams through constructing interchanges and flyovers, installation of traffic signal systems and addressing unstable energy supply by constructing substations and job creation, among others,” he said.
The project details were made available during a media facility tour of JICA-funded project sites in Accra and Tema.
