The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, on Friday, 21st October 2022,
revealed that, the much-awaited Afram Bridge in the Kwahu Afram Plains South will first quarter of 2023.
The project according to the government will be the 5th largest bridge in Africa if completed.
Currently, the longest bridge in Africa is The 6th October Bridge in Cairo, Egypt. The construction of the bridge took nearly 30 years. It was inaugurated in 1996. The bridge is built along the River Nile, measuring 20.5 kilometres long.
The Third Mainland Bridge in Nigeria used to be on top of the ‘top longest’ bridges in Africa before the 6th of October came into use in 1996.
President Nana Addo made this statement in a radio interview with Nkawkaw-based Republic FM during his three-day visit to the region.
Recently, parliament approved an amount of Three Hundred and Fifty Million Euros (€350,000,000.00) for the construction of the bridge over the Afram River and the construction of 124Km of roads from Adawso-Bunso, Ekye – Amanfrom and other specified roads within the Afram areas.
Presenting the report of the Committee on Roads and Transport, the Chairman of the Committee, Hon. Kennedy Osei Nyarko noted that Government recognises the important role that accessibility to road infrastructure plays in poverty reduction, fostering regional integration and enhancing economic development through income generation activities that are linked to agriculture and other sectors of the economy.
He told the House that Agriculture accounts for one-fifth of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), adding that it employs half of the workforce and serves as the main source of livelihood for the majority of its citizens.
He emphasized that the transport sector is also essential to agriculture due to the central role it plays in the provision of services and the development of road links for the transportation of farm produce to market centres and for export markets.
Hon. Osei Nyarko who is also the MP for Akim Swedru indicated that the Afram Plains District has tremendous potential to contribute significantly to the improvement of the well-being of its inhabitants and to the food security of the Ashanti Region and Greater Accra area. The objective of the project is to enhance productivity in the Agriculture sector of the Afram Plains.
In a separate agreement, the House approved the Commercial contract agreement between the Government of the Republic of Ghana (acting through the Ministry of Roads and Highways and represented by the Ghana Highways Authority) and Contracta Construction UK Limited for an amount of (€ 150,000,000.00) for the construction of Bunso-Adawso Road and specified approach roads to the Adawso Bridge Project 9104Km, comprising Takorowatwen – Ekyi Amanfrom Road – 22Km, Adawso – Kwahu Tafo Road – 20Km, Kwahu Tafo – Miaso Road – 29Km, Miaso – Begoro Road – 26Km, and Begoro – Obuho Road – Km) and also a Design-Build Contract Agreement between Ghana and BNIP-Janson-Adowso Consortium of Netherlands for an amount of Two Hundred Million Euros ( €200,000,000.00) for the construction of a Bridge over the Volta River at Adawso-Ekyi Amanfrom.
Source: Myrbytnewsroom.com/Evans Boateng
