The structure, which has been dedicated to the memory of Naa Gbewaa, the Founder of the Mole/Dagbon Kingdom, is expected to ease traffic congestion and give a facelift to the metropolis.

The project was financed under the Master Project Support Agreement (MPSA) between the government and the Sinohydro Corporation Company of China.
The Naa Gbewaa Interchange links the road from the Dakpema Palace through the ‘Point 7’ road, the Central Taxi Rank and the Central Market Intersection to the Sakasaka Road.

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, who inaugurated the project yesterday, said the facility formed part of the government’s commitment to address congestion in urban centres and also help improve travel times on major arterial roads.

He said the Sinohydro facility was the fruit of the good bilateral relations between Ghana and China, adding that the innovative agreement, the first of its kind in the subregion, would not be added to the nation’s debt stock.

“Under phase one of the Sinohydro project, a total of 441 kilometres (km) of roads and two interchanges have been constructed. I am happy to announce that most of the projects are at various stages of completion,” he said.

The President said phase two of the Obetsebi-Lamptey Interchange in Accra, the PTC Roundabout Interchange in Takoradi, the Nungua Interchange, the Agyirigano Overpass and the Flower Pot Interchange, all in Accra, were at various stages of completion.

Critical road infrastructure Apart from the interchanges, he indicated that the government was also undertaking critical road projects to improve urban mobility across the country, which would reduce travel times on the highways.

They included 1,200km asphalt overlay roads across all the regions in the country, he indicated.

The President added that the Ministry of Roads and Highways had programmed to complete 1,500km of asphalt overlay roads between 2021 and 2022 and rehabilitate the 160- km Yendi-Tamale highway and the Yendi- Zabzugu road, rehabilitate 670km of feeder roads in the Upper West Region and reconstruct phase one of the Tamale-Walewale road, which would improve the section between Savelugu and Tamale.

Year of roads For his part, the Overlord of Dagbon, Ya-NaAbukari II, in a speech read on his behalf, said the massive road infrastructure witnessed in the region gave real meaning to the government’s declaration of 2021 and 2022 as years of roads.

He said the construction of the interchange was laudable, as it would ease congestion, improve traffic flow within the central business district and enhance the living conditions of the people.

The Northern Regional Minister, Alhaji Shani Alhassan, commended the government for initiating the project, which, he explained, had completely transformed the landscape of the Tamale metropolis.

He expressed his commitment to monitor the use of the facility and carry out the required decongestion exercise to clear off hawkers from trading along the edifice.
Dignitaries Among the dignitaries who graced the occasion were the Vice-President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia; the Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Dr Mohammed Awal; the Chinese Ambassador to Ghana, Lu Kun, chiefs and officials of the Sinohydro Corporation.

Background
On April 10, 2019, President Akufo-Addo cut the sod for the construction of the Tamale Interchange.
The project was the first of 10 lots to commence under the $2 billion Ghana– Sinohydro Master Project Support Agreement between Ghana and China.
The interchange is part of a 1.7-km road, ramps, drainage works, streetlights and 10km of asphalt overlay around the interchange.