Mr Simon Osei Mensah, Ashanti Regional Minister has appealed to farmers in the Atwima-Mponua District to desist from using the newly constructed feeder roads in the area, to dry their cocoa beans and other foodstuffs.
He said the use of the roads to dry cocoa beans and other foodstuff could not only cause accidents but would deteriorate the roads constructed by the government to open the area and facilitate the transportation of their farm produce to the marketing centres.
Addressing farmers and community members at Adobeewura, near Nyinahin, Mr Osei Mensah said they had the responsibility to protect the roads and other infrastructure built by the government in the area to help improve their living conditions.
Mr Osei Mensah was on a tour of the district to inspect ongoing feeder road projects being constructed in the area under the Sino Hydro project.
The government of Ghana on September 2018, entered into a $2 billion Master Project Support Agreement with the Chinese State-run Sinohydro Corporation Limited.
The agreement is for the Sinohydro Corporation to build infrastructure projects in Ghana in exchange to have access to sites to mine bauxite.
The construction of road projects in the Atwima Mponua District is part of the agreement to open up the area which had huge deposits of bauxite.
A total of 65 kilometres of roads, including the Nyinahin town roads, are under construction in the district.
Among the roads the Minister inspected were the eight-kilometre road from Nyinahin to Akonfre and the Nyinahin to Esreso forest junction roads, which are almost completed.
Mr. Osei Mensah also inspected the Adobeewura to the Forest junction to Esreso-Nkwanta road which had been completed.
He expressed appreciation at the level of work done so far and appealed to the people to take good care of the roads to help prolong their lifespan.
A Ghanaian cocoa farmer dries cocoa beans under the sunshine on a plantation in Eastern Region, Ghana, on May 11, 2021.(Xinhua/Seth)